When a program is developed, it’s done so for various reasons, including based on current and relevant research, anecdotal and collected feedback and evidence from participants, funders, and more.
But even the most well-developed programs can suffer if your staff and stakeholders aren’t engaged enough to care about how the program is designed to work beyond focusing on outcomes and impact only.
As I’ve continued to shift more into engaging my clients in a more participatory way, we’ve been working together to develop a more collaborative process that generates a culture of learning about how they’re developing their programs and how their program recipients are responding to it, rather than merely meeting metrics commissioned by someone else.
Compared to previous Try This posts, what I’m sharing today is more of a process rather than actual activities. And for the purposes of today’s post, I’m labeling this process the “staff and stakeholder engagement and collaborative process“. The actual name depends on the client project I’m working on (for example, with one client, it’s called the “evaluation working group” while the process is called the “evaluation working group” with another client).
Regardless of the name, the process is the same: Bringing together staff and stakeholders to develop program goals, discover insights into how participants are engaging with the program, and develop a strategy for routine program evaluation and course-correction and generating buy-in among your staff and stakeholders.
This activity is ideal for:
- Nonprofit and social services staff interested in developing more engagement and collaboration between staff and stakeholders (i.e. program participants, board members, and other supporters)
- Nonprofit and social services staff that are responsible for developing and overseeing the implementation of programs, services, and strategies
Here’s what you need:
- Staff and stakeholders interested in engagement and collaboration
The process:
Before I share some key differences based on what I’ve seen with my clients, here’s some guidance:
- Identify the goals of your process: Are you developing this for a specific program OR for overall capacity-building that will impact all programs?
- Specify who will be part of the process: Who will you be inviting? Consider primary partners (program participants, staff closely connected to the program), secondary partners (staff indirectly connected to the program but their roles may be interconnected to the success of the program, staff leadership), and tertiary partners (board members, community partners, and other key stakeholders with an interest in the program).
- Identify the frequency of when you will meet: Will you be meeting on a weekly, monthly, or quarterly basis? This can change depending on where you are in the program cycle. For example, you may meet more frequently towards the end of the program cycle when you’re ready to review and revise the program’s activities. Or, you may meet more frequently to develop your program’s logic model and program design.
So far, I’ve worked with clients to implement this process in two ways: 1) To design, implement, and evaluate one program or 2) To develop a capacity-building model that oversees all programs’ design, implementation
Regardless of context, I’ve worked with my clients on a process that focuses mostly on program re/design, program implementation, program monitoring, and evaluation. This includes
One program: In implementing this process for one program, it was important for my clients to get participation from program participants, staff closely connected to the program, and people who may have an expertise in the program’s subject matter. It’s also been important for them to course-correct (make changes) as the program is in the implementation phase. If the program is in development, the process focused on developing the logic model with goals and
Across programs: In this instance, it’s been important for my clients to engage staff and stakeholders from various backgrounds and connections to the organization’s overall programming. Often, organizations have departments that inadvertently work in silos, and this process has been a great way for collaborators to learn more about the organization’s programs and their implementation, any unmet program needs that other staff and stakeholders have the skillsets to assist, and what education and
To give some ideas on how to implement the engagement and collaboration process in your organization, here are examples of activities I’ve worked on with clients:
- Develop and revise a program (including the logic model)
- Develop an organization theory of change
- Develop and revise a program’s evaluation design (data collection design and analysis process, findings interpretation, and how to share the findings (and with whom))
- Monitor the implementation of the program
- Implement the program’s evaluation activities and overseeing the
frequecy of evaluation activities - Developing and identifying educational and training opportunities in program design and evaluation for staff and stakeholders
Key takeaway
Whether it’s for one program or designed across programs, the purpose of this process is to generate buy-in among your staff and stakeholders and it should be designed to get your collaborators out of the metrics and outcomes-only mindset into mutually beneficial collaboration and idea-sharing from various perspectives. Try this process out and let me know how it goes for you (or if you’d like for me to assist you with this process, let me know how we can work together).
Raise Your Voice: How can you use this process to engage your staff and stakeholders? Share below in the comments section.
