Center for Participatory Change

Summary of Process and Outcome Evaluations

 

Process Evaluation

Process evaluation creates a better understanding of CPC's work. When we asked the folks we work with what is helpful or not so helpful about CPC's work, they focused on two major points:

1. Grassroots groups appreciate how CPC staff make sure that the group members control projects and decisions.

2. CPC's way of working helps people develop a culture of participation and inclusiveness in their groups.

"CPC helped us guide discussions and serve as a facilitator. And once we set our agenda, to kind of stick to the agenda or just kind of help us guide the discussions. And that's really what we needed because our discussions would get muddled, and the specifics of what we needed to accomplish weren't being addressed. There are so many needs and so many things that really need to be happening, that it would all get piled on top of each other and we would lose sight of what we need right then. So I really feel like they helped us to keep on track, basically. And to guide us, and to figure out how to make decisions. They showed us some skills for all that, which was really good."
--Latino Advocacy Coalition

 

"We've created an organization that none of us had a clue of where we were going this time last year. [Laughter.] I don't know how many times we've all looked at each other and said, 'Well, I don't know.' And then we would have to invent a new way of doing something... And we've made some mistakes along the way, and they [CPC staff] have been there to help us. They've never once tried to shoehorn us into something where we didn't fit. And I think that is one of the unique features of their organization... Basically I think what they've done is point us in the right direction. They offer guidelines and help and support, but they let us make our own mistakes. They've let us learn it for ourselves. I think that's good."
--Appalachian Heritage Crafters

 

Outcome Evaluation

Outcome evaluation looks at what has changed--within individual people, grassroots groups, or communities--because of CPC's work. When we asked people about these changes, they came up with nine major outcomes or results. Five are concrete outcomes (easy to see and touch); the other four are more intangible (harder to see and touch), but just as real and important.

Intangible Outcomes

Tangible Outcomes

"Well, we just got another grant. I don't think we could have done that [proposal] without their [CPC's] help. You know, they don't do it for us, but they let us see what it was we needed to do. They don't do it for you, but they give you the general direction and let you come up with your own thoughts...And they tell you how to do it, and they work with you and walk you through the steps as you write that proposal, even if you don't know exactly what you're doing... But you - you come up with the ideas. You have to do it. It's your idea. It's your project."
--REEP (Revitalize, Energize, Educate, Prepare)

"They put the fire underneath us...and that kind of gave us the incentive to look at ourselves and go, 'Wow, you know, yes, we can do this. We can go out there like crusaders. Joan of Arc.' They got the fire under us to go out there and do what we need to do... Craig also told us that we are a group of powerful women, and you know, in a way, you don't think of that. But when somebody sits there and tells you that you really can do what you want to do, that you are a group of powerful women, you think - 'Yeah, we really are.' Cause we are, you know? [Laughter.] And we are telling that to the women we work with [in domestic violence programs]. He is telling us that, and that gives us the power to keep telling them."
--REACH

"It was their spark that led us to come together the first time around doing something in the crafts line after the plant closing. They provided us with a place to meet; they conducted our early meetings; they helped us to get things done. If we figured out that we needed something, they knew who to call. They helped us get where we wanted to go."
--Appalachian Heritage Crafters

"Well, I was working on learning grantwriting. For me, on a personal level, I learned that I had more skills than I thought I had. We were successful in getting grants for some programs around self-advocacy. Successful in one grant to get my salary. And Paul really helped me put my own thoughts down on paper, and helped me realize that I had everything I needed already inside me. They make you feel that you can accomplish whatever you want to, and that you had it in you all along - it just needed to be brought out."
--Family Resources of Cherokee County

"I think another thing that we've learned from them is when we conduct meetings - whether it's in a small group like a committee or in a large general meeting - I think they have, by example, shown both the general membership and the people who are running a meeting how to keep a large group of people on track. How to keep your meeting on the agenda. How to minimize the distractions without offending people."
--Appalachian Heritage Crafters

 

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