In 2006, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation began to support the After School Education and Safety Program (ASES)–funded expansion of after-school programs in California. The Foundation invested in the establishment of technical assistance (TA), workforce development, and leadership infrastructure to help build a sustainable system that provides better programmatic and financial support for California’s after-school programs. This report examines the ways in which the Foundation’s investments from 2007 through 2010 have contributed to the continuous improvement of the after-school… Learn more

As part of the evaluation of the Community Clinics Initiative (CCI)’s Networking for Community Health (NCH) program, Informing Change is examining how community clinics strengthen their working relationships with both traditional and non-traditional partners to promote community health. This brief focuses on a sub-set of NCH projects that are engaging youth to promote community health. The report describes how clinics can integrate youth into community health improvement efforts and profiles three projects to illustrate different of ways to engage youth.… Learn more

What does it really mean to treat evaluation study participants fairly, equitably and with the utmost respect? For foundation staff without deep research backgrounds, it is vital to understand whether evaluators are taking appropriate steps to protect the participants in their work. Does every study require an Institutional Review Board (IRB) process? When is the process not necessary? With generous support from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Informing Change has developed Resource Documents and an accompanying Training Toolkit for… Learn more

What can a community college do to ensure that its students complete their degrees and move forward into productive and fulfilling careers? Across the nation, policymakers, educators, students and their families are concerned about the low percentage of enrolled community college students who persevere to complete either a two-year or a four-year college degree. Because community colleges have open access (i.e., all students are eligible to attend regardless of their academic achievement), developmental education is a large component of community… Learn more

As part of its efforts in building the field of Jewish service-learning, Repair the World commissioned Informing Change to conduct an exploratory study on the impact of short-term immersive Jewish service-learning (IJSL) on the organizations and communities that host these groups. The study included interviews with representatives of host community CBO/NGOs involved in IJSL projects in the US, Israel, Nicaragua, Ghana and Ukraine as well as an in-depth review of recent relevant research and writing about best practices in secular… Learn more

In 2008, The Blue Shield of California Foundation partnered with the Center for the Health Professions at the University of California, San Francisco to address leadership needs in the community clinics field. They launched the Clinic Leadership Institute (CLI), an 18-month leadership program designed to prepare next generation leaders to move into executive leadership positions. Over the past two years, Informing Change has conducted an ongoing evaluation of CLI and recently completed this brief describing the CLI program as well… Learn more

HIRE LA’s Youth, a division of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, supports youth employment by preparing applicants between the ages of 16–24 years to earn and retain entry-level employment. The multi-step preparation Work Readiness Certification (WRC) process includes resumé development, customer service skills training, workplace etiquette, application procedures and a mock interview with employer volunteers. Informing Change conducted a survey of 1,970 WRC recipients and non-recipients to assess the impact that a WRC certificate has on youth’s employment… Learn more

In 2008, The Community Clinics Initiative (CCI) launched their Networking for Community Health (NCH) grantmaking program. The program was designed to support California community clinics in strengthening their working relationships with both traditional and non-traditional partners. Over the past three years, CCI has supported clinics’ projects that work on a wide variety of issues, including improving access to nutritious food, engaging youth and coordinating health services, among others. This report examines the ways in which the NCH program has enhanced… Learn more

Social websites have rapidly grown into large, sophisticated networks that can span the globe.This brief provides a snapshot of one nonprofit online community—the Community Clinic Voice. The Community Clinics Initiative (CCI) supports the Voice to aid health care safety net professionals in building stronger, healthier communities. The brief explores the Voice model, including its structure, evolution, members and the benefits that they gain from utilizing the Voice. It also summarizes CCI’s approach to online community management and considerations for those… Learn more

Community health workers, public health aides, promotores and peer educators are all terms used to describe the role of community health promoters. These workers are recruited from communities to apply their knowledge of the area and their personal connections with residents to promote the public’s health. The Community Clinics Initiative requested that Informing Change examine the role of community health promoters in their Networking for Community Health grantmaking program. This brief documents the role and effectiveness of community health promoters in… Learn more

The Low Income Investment Fund’s ABCD Initiative supports the development of quality child care facilities in California. In this report, Informing Change took an in-depth look at one of the initiative’s strategies—Constructing Connections. Through this strategy, LIIF supported local collaborative teams consisting of child care operators, developers, civic leaders, small business leaders and other stakeholders in 11 California counties. These collaborative teams worked together to identify and eliminate local and regional barriers to child care facilities development, streamline the development… Learn more

What does it take to become an effective coach in the nonprofit sector? How can coaches assess leaders’ readiness for coaching? How can coaches ensure a successful engagement? These are just a few of the questions that Coaching and Philanthropy: An Action Guide for Coaches addresses in this guide that that highlights the findings from the Coaching and Philanthropy Project’s unprecedented deep dive into learning about the use of coaching in the nonprofit sector. The project was formed by Grantmakers… Learn more

How does coaching differ from other types of nonprofit supports? Why should grantmakers support coaching? When and how should coaching be used? These are just a few of the questions that Coaching and Philanthropy: An Action Guide for Grantmakers addresses in this guide that highlights the findings from the Coaching and Philanthropy Project’s unprecedented deep dive into learning about the use of coaching in the nonprofit sector. The project was formed by Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, CompassPoint Nonprofit Services, Leadership… Learn more

The Center for Leadership Innovation (TCLI), formerly known as the Development Training Institute, embarked on a pilot project to offer two types of coaching to emerging leaders of color who had completed a leadership training. TCLI alumni were given the opportunity to participate in one-on-one coaching, peer group coaching, or a combination of both. Informing Change conducted an exploratory evaluation of this pilot project to identify the benefits of these different coaching models in and of themselves and as a… Learn more

What is coaching? How can coaching contribute to my development as a nonprofit leader? What kind of coaching is right for me and my organization? How much is coaching? These are just a few of the questions that Coaching and Philanthropy: An Action Guide for Nonprofits addresses in this guide that highlights the findings from the Coaching and Philanthropy Project’s unprecedented deep dive into learning about the use of coaching in the nonprofit sector. The project was formed by Grantmakers… Learn more

Evaluation done well should be so much more than documenting the activities and outputs of a grant. To the extent possible, it should leave an organization with a fuller understanding of the process and impacts of its work. Good evaluation should expand an organization’s ability to reflect on its work and consider thoughtfully how to meet objectives and increase impact over time. This is especially important for organizations engaged in policy and advocacy or systems change work because of how… Learn more

In 2008, The Community Clinics Initiative (CCI)’s launched their new Networking for Community Health grantmaking program. The program provides California community clinics with two-year grants to strengthen networking efforts with other organizations to promote the health of the communities they serve. Grantees’ networks have addressed a variety of community health priorities, from exposure to toxins to access to healthy food and regular exercise to disaster planning. At a mid-point during the inaugural cohort, Informing Change created a “visual summary” that… Learn more

LeaderSpring’s Executive Coaching Project (ECP) complements their existing two-year leadership program for nonprofit executives who are predominantly leaders of color and/or work in communities of color. Informing Change conducted an evaluation of the ECP and found that, overall, the Executive Coaching Project is a unique and effective model for supporting nonprofit leaders as they engage in the LeaderSpring fellowship program. The report describes LeaderSpring’s ECP model and coaching process, explores key findings and offers program reflections and implications for those… Learn more

This report offers lessons learned from the James Irvine Foundation’s Fund for Leadership Advancement Initiative. This summary is based on the full evaluation report, “Strengthening Nonprofit Leaders to Enhance Organizational Capacity.” Learn more

This report describes the findings and implications from a study of emerging leaders within the community clinics field in California. It looks at the degree to which their group of clinic staff are interested in and poised to become future CEOs, medical directors or other senior leaders in community clinics and consortia and what types of support they need to do so. It is part of a larger compendium of studies that provide a snapshot of clinic leadership within the… Learn more