The Value Herald, Issue 9, Winter 2014


 

Welcome to the Winter 2014 Demonstrating Value Newsletter! 

The Value Herald quarterly newsletter shares engaging ideas, useful advice and informative resources from Demonstrating Value at Vancity Community Foundation.

Here's our Winter DV newsletter to brighten your day.   In this issue we ponder the meaning of measurement, as well our usual mix of what's interesting out there, technical tips and ideas.  If you like our newsletter, share it with a friend!

In This Issue
 The Value Herald shares thoughts, insights and conversations from our blog. In this issue...

Don’t forget to browse through Upcoming Events for exciting opportunities to learn and network. And as always, we love to hear your thoughts on Demonstrating Value and social enterprise measurement and evaluation!
Issues & Ideas

Existential Measurement?
Are we way too focused on tracking to goals?  Is it better to focus on how we are doing with our systems and practices to find meaning and direction?  While James Clear's article in Entrepreneurship Magazine "Forget Setting Goals. Focus on this Instead," is thought provoking, don't throw the baby out with the bath water!   Instead structure goal measurement so that it helps to get the conversation going rather than shut it down.   Read more   


 

The Technical Corner


Think More About the Formula, Not Just the Indicators
In the measurement world we talk a lot about indicators, measures, KPIs, metrics.  While it's important to derive a useful set of indicators for evaluation and performance measurement, we sometimes forget about  the relationships between the indicators, and assumptions in coming up with them -  essentially the 'formula' that makes sense of the 'variables' (indicators etc.). Can we apply more ‘formula-thinking’  to our work?   Read more for tips and ideas.

 

DV Resources & Tools

Showing the Value of Employing Individuals Who are Marginalized: Four DV Tools
Social enterprises that provide meaningful work and training to people with barriers to employment create significant community value.  They are also complex business to run!
Learn more about tools that are available on our resources page that are specifically geared to this type of enterprise. Read more. 

 
Tools Out There


Shared Measurement in the Universities
Shared measurement is all the rage. I hear of new initiatives frequently, but at the same time there are 'unsung' initiatives at Canadian universities that have been collecting and sharing social and environmental data for decades. Read more

 

 
 People Behind the Measurement


A friend of DV finds a new home at Junxion Strategy 
Garth Yule is  working with the Demonstrating Value tools and framework again, but this time from the position of Engagement Manager with Junxion Strategy. Beginning in March 2014, Garth is delivering a series of workshops to introduce the Demonstrating Value framework to other funders, investors and membership-based organizations that would like to build the performance management and communication capacity of their grantees, investees, and/or members. Interested?... Read more

 


February 20 (Webinar)
Embracing paper free evaluation: Applications for tablet based data collection
AEA Coffee Break webinar looks at four  tablet apps which streamline and strengthen data collection.  For more info, click here
 
February 21st, 2014 (Vancouver, BC)
Evaluation and Measuring Impact: What Every Non-Profit Leader Needs to Know
Alison Brewin will cover the fundamentals of evaluation, demystify the language, and build an evaluation plan for your programs and activities. For more info, click here

March 17th 12 noon ET (Teleconference)
SOARing without SWOTting: An Appreciative Assessment Approach
Tom Klaus will introduce the Appreciative Inquiry SOAR (strengths, opportunities, aspirations, and results) analysis as an alternative to SWOT. To learn more: kirsti@tamarackcommunity.ca
 
April 1-3, 2014 (Vancouver B.C)
Champions for Change: Leading a Backbone Organization for Collective Impact
Tamarack and FSG present a multi-day interactive workshop for 'Backbone Organizations' that bring other organizations together to make an impact. For more info, click here

April 7-11, 2014 (Toronto, Ontario)
Sustainability & CSR Management Course 
This Accountability Project's course covers the essential topics for sustainability/CSR such as standards, frameworks and reporting. For more info, click here
 
April 28 and 29, 2014 (Barrie, Ontario)
Logic Models: An Intermediate Level Course
This Canadian Evaluation Society, Ontario Chapter course is a combination of lecture, discussion, and hands-on experience with a case study. For more info, click here. 

May 13-15 (Winnipeg, Manitoba) / June 2-4 (Halifax, Nova Scotia)
Evaluating Community Impact: Capturing and Making Sense of Community Outcomes
Three-day workshop by the Tamarack Institute to learn the latest and most practical evaluation ideas and practices. For more info, click here
 

Contact Us

Demonstrating Value
Vancity Community Foundation
810 - 815 West Hastings St.
Vancouver, BC V6C 1B4

604.877.7646

website: www.demonstratingvalue.org

blog: www.demonstratingvalue.org/DV-blog

twitter: @demvalue

Contact Demonstrating Value

Demonstrating Value is an initiative led by Vancity Community Foundation to enhance the capacity of community-based organizations to strategically plan, manage and communicate the value of their work, and in particular the measurement of social and environmental impact.