Hi! I'm Allison and I help organizations use learning and evaluation to improve their programs and communities. I've worked with and for a lot of non-profits, and I often talk about the realities of working in the sector.
I'm also a mom. And with experience working in day camps and being a girl guide leader when I was young, plus a degree in Developmental Psychology, I thought I had a pretty good idea of what parenting entailed.
I was mostly right, but there are all of these little things that you don't really think about. Like just how many times you'll have to hand out snacks. Or the way that you have to try to anticipate what parts of their day are leading to this moment's big feelings, because they don't have the awareness to do that on their own.
A lot of the work that happens in non-profits is like this. It's not funded or really recognized, but it has to be done to do the thing you're actually funded to do.
One of the things I love about working with Sustainable Livelihoods Canada is that we try to shine light on that unfunded work, and to help organizations be able to talk about it.
The most straightforward example I use is employment services. You might receive funding to get someone a job. But for a lot of folks who are outside of the labour market, we now know that it's not just a resume and job search skills that are going to help them get or keep a job. You have to build a relationship with them to figure out what their unique needs are. It might be child care, or health supports, or maybe they're going to need some accommodations in the workplace once they get there.
I often encourage organizations to uncover that unfunded work, and then seek out funding for it. Because even though a lot of funders are looking for new or unique programs, if there's a new element of your program, that can often meet the criteria. And with your staff experience as evidence, you can craft a compelling story about why it's needed and how it will help.
I'm doing my best to pass what I've learned on to others. Next week, I'm hosting a free grant webinar. Join me for more tips like this!
I was inspired after last week's email and I made a little visual of the steps I recommended for a process review. Click the button below to download a copy!
Issue #35 Not at all weekly evaluation inspiration for... Non-profits who DARE "Were you showing that video specifically for me?" reflected a recent workshop participant after I showed this TED Talk on asking better questions by Amber L. Wright. Of course I wasn't, but the reflection was exactly why I love to share this video. The concept is so simple - the questions we ask matter, and the responses we get differ based on not only how we ask the question, but how we make them feel. So many of...
Issue #34 Not at all weekly evaluation inspiration for... Non-profits who DARE When I was pregnant with my first child, a friend who had recently had a baby said her best recommendation was to 'anticipate the baby's needs'. I guess in many ways, I've been doing that for the past 8 years. I was thinking a lot about this as we headed back to school last week. There are certain things that I've learned with years of wisdom that my kids just can't anticipate yet. Like on Friday, when we headed...
Issue #33 Sometimes weekly evaluation inspiration for... Non-profits who DARE Although it's mid-June, here in Southwestern Ontario it's really starting to feel like summer. Warm weather, festivals, and, of course, construction at every turn. As an evaluator, one of our competencies (in Canada, anyway), is reflective practice. I'm a pretty reflective-by-default kind of person (at least that's what my therapists always tell me), but I still take the competency to heart and try to think of ways...
