Articles & Publications
Success Measures has authored and been featured in articles, publications, and blog posts on community development participatory outcome evaluation. These resources, which provide more extensive information on our work in the field, are available here for reading or downloading.
Success Measures Health Outcome Tools Field Test Report
Success Measures, NeighborWorks America, March 2016After researching and developing more than 65 new tools to measure the health-related outcomes of community development work, Success Measures field tested selected survey questions for validity and credibility. Conducted in English and Spanish with nine diverse organizations throughout the US, the field tests focused on the content, number and wording of questions, including cultural context. Methods, findings and conclusions are included in the summary report. Read More- Field testing its new suite of tools measuring the intersection of health and community development work, Success Measures gained valuable insight into the important nuances of asking questions. Read More
Shared Measurement: Advancing Evaluation of Community Development Outcomes
What Counts: Harnessing Data for America's Communities Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and the Urban Institute, 2014This essay examines the advantages and challenges of using shared measures in community development efforts. Grieve, as one of nearly 50 authors addressing the difficult question of how to improve conditions in distressed communities, explores how nonprofit organizations, intermediaries, and funders apply shared measurement within collective impact strategies and how to evaluate a range of programs. Read MoreEvaluating Community Stabilization Efforts at the Neighborhood Level: A NeighborWorks Pilot with Success Measures
Success Measures, NeighborWorks America, 2011A summary report on the development and piloting of the Success Measures Community Stabilization Evaluation Framework, with an introduction by Alan Mallach. Included are highlights of the nine pilot organizations; and examples of the measurement tools now available to the field. Read More- As cross-sector collaboration at the intersection of health and community development increased, this blog post discussed Success Measures' work to develop a set of data collection tools to evaluate the health-related outcomes of community development work. Read More
- Documents the Financial Capability Demonstration Project, a national multi-year partnership between Citi Foundation and NeighborWorks America, designed to expand the scope and scale of financial capability programs that support low- and moderate-income families and individuals. Includes the findings of 30 nonprofits who received support, training, and coaching over two years. Read More
- A case study of the collaborative evaluation facilitated by Success Measures for the Ford Foundation's Metropolitan Opportunity Unit's assessment of its five year initiative to connect people to economic opportunity, expand access to quality housing, and promote innovative land use in nine metropolitan regions across the country. Read More
Measuring Outcomes of Financial Capability Programs: Success Measures Tools for Practitioners
Success Measures, NeighborWorks America, 2011Provides access to the 100+ Success Measures Financial Capability Measurement Tools and discusses the collaborative field-building initiative that resulted in the new set of tools. Read MoreAge-Friendly Communities – USA Project Report
Success Measures, NeighborWorks America, September 2014Overview of a three-year effort, supported by the Tides Foundation and Atlantic Philanthropies, to assist low-income communities through an asset-based, age-friendly approach. Includes case studies of four diverse communities working to apply the practices of age-friendly communities, as well as Success Measures' evaluation of how the age-friendly communities' agenda is being embedded within the organizations for long-term sustainability. Read MoreInvesting in Community Change: An Evaluation of a Decade of Data-Driven Grantmaking
The Foundation Review, Vol. 7, Issue 3, 2015As part of an issue focused on place-based philanthropy, this article discusses Success Measures and The Reinvestment Fund's joint evaluation of the Wells Fargo Regional Foundation's ten years of grantmaking and related programs in low-income communities in eastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey. Read More