Nonprofit Case Study – Working with External Evaluators How a nonprofit worked with an external partner to grow its performance management capacity December 4, 2013

Today’s Presenters Monique Miles Deputy Director of the Aspen Forum for Community Solutions Aspen Institute Sean Segal Chief Operating Officer Urban Alliance Dan Tsin Director of Evaluation Urban Alliance Brett Theodos Senior Research Associate Urban Institute

Urban Alliance Urban Alliance provides professional development to under-resourced youth through a 10-month paid internship. Job Skills Training Job Placement Career Mentorship Post-HS Coaching Alumni Support

Urban Alliance’s History 1996: Serves 6 youth from 1 DC high school 2003: DC citywide expansion 2008: Expands to Baltimore after BCPS’s CEO invitation 2012: Expands to serve 70 youth in Chicago 2013: Expands to serve 35 youth in Virginia

How Urban Alliance Works ActivitiesShort-Term Outcomes Intermediate-Term Outcomes Long-Term Outcomes Pre-Work Training Professional Internship Skill Building Post-High School Coaching Alumni Services Skill Set Growth Post-Secondary Readiness HS Graduation Immediate college enrollment or employment Youth remain “Connected” by continuing in school or earning a livable wage. Youth are living self-sufficiently and contributing to society. More than 700 hours of programming

Measuring Success Urban Alliance places heavy emphasis on program evaluation and continuous learning to ensure the best outcomes for our youth. Internal Program Evaluation Pre – and Post – Program Surveys Hard and Soft Skill Exposure & Growth Post-Secondary Readiness College Enrollment and Persistence via the National Student Clearinghouse External Program Evaluation 5 year Randomized Control Trial through the Urban Institute Treatment vs Control comparisons on post-secondary success and job-readiness

Investment in Evaluation Beyond Collection of weekly tracking notes and end of year reports on youth Data unable to be aggregated Purchased Effort to Outcomes Hard and Soft skills tracked Aggregated data for Development World Bank/ Urban Institute East of River Initiative Logic Model with long term outcomes development 1 st Pre and Post Program Surveys Creation of Alumni Services Full time Director of Evaluation Investment in SalesForce for all organization data tracking Urban Institute RCT External data confirmation Increased capacity to track and follow alumni Linking specific program inputs and activities to long term outcomes

Q&A Monique Miles Deputy Director of the Aspen Forum for Community Solutions Aspen Institute Sean Segal Chief Operating Officer Urban Alliance Dan Tsin Director of Evaluation Urban Alliance Brett Theodos Senior Research Associate Urban Institute