Evaluating Public Policy & Advocacy Efforts

1. Evaluating Public Policy & Advocacy Efforts Ellen Dickenson- Senior Director, Evaluation Khushbu Webber - Public Policy Director November 1, 2017 United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley

2. Agenda • Overview of United Way’s public policy and advocacy work • United Way’s public policy evaluation framework • Mapping your own advocacy to United Way’s evaluation framework • Group discussion • Q & A October 26, 2017

3. Enter school ready to learn • Develop critical social and academic skills • Get support outside of school to stay in school and graduate • Safe housing, healthy food, and quality childcare • Job training and placement • Access to financial advice

4. We do this across 142 cities and towns in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine

5. We deliver the greatest impact by: • Providing unrestricted funds to our nonprofit agency partners. This allows each agency to apply the funds where they are needed most, to deliver the greatest impact. • Identifying the most pressing issues and targeting resources to the areas of greatest need • Harnessing the power of communities working together– individuals, businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies – to deliver lasting change. • Funding the most effective nonprofits and programs, measuring their progress against agreed objectives, and providing them with extensive support. • Mobilizing thousands of volunteers to help those in need.

6. Our Approach to Public Policy United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley

7. Overview of United Way’s Public Policy • Advocacy • Establish and promote our own public policy agenda • Strategic thinking and drive the United Way of Massachusetts Bay’s (UWMB) public policy and governmental affairs work at the federal, state and local levels in support of Financial Opportunity and Educational Success • Funding • Public Policy Advocacy grantmaking October 26, 2017

8. What does Public Policy do? • Internally • Externally • Collaborate with Community Impact on specific policies and initiatives • Manage long term strategic grantmaking in public policy • Work collaboratively with United Way Worldwide in addressing policies at the federal level that affect the UW system   • Advocate for state policy within the Executive Branch, the Legislature, and the community • Work with local leaders in key communities. • Facilitate public policy advocacy in support of UWMB’s priorities (engage colleagues, partner agencies, volunteers) October 26, 2017

9. History of United Way’s Public Policy Work October 26, 2017

10. Recent History of United Way’s Public Policy Work October 26, 2017

11. United Way Public Policy Funding • Funding for agencies doing advocacy work • Targeted investments that will have the largest impact on communities with the greatest needs. • Work that complements United Way’s own policy agenda and that advances Education Success and Financial Opportunity • Example: Homes for Families and Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP) $300,000 in funding to 10-20 agencies in this RFP October 26, 2017

12. Our Evaluation Framework United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley

13. United Way’s evaluation framework values the policy process as much as the product Engage these audiences… Community at large Allies and institutional stakeholders Media Decisionmakers …to achieve this impact Families have safe, permanent, affordable housing Adults have jobs that can sustain them and their families Adults can meet their basic needs and achieve financial wellbeing Children enter kindergarten ready to learn Youth graduate high school ready for college and/or careers ? October 26, 2017

14. United Way’s evaluation framework values the policy process as much as the product Adapted from Alliance for Justice (2004) Investing in Change: A Funder’s Guide to Supporting Advocacy October 26, 2017

15. This engagement is the primary focus of our evaluation framework This policy outcome results in positive social change, for example $10M budget increase for affordable housing, which will house 700 more families. These activities result in a policy outcome, for example a bill passing October 26, 2017

16. Activity:How does your organization engage these audiences? United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley

17. How does your organization engage these audiences? • Using the template at your place, take 10 minutes to describe your organization’s audiences and record as many activities it undertakes to engage them as you can think of. • Indicate whether each activity educates, influences, or organizes that audience to join you in advocating for your desired policy change. • Also jot down what the outputs and outcomes of those activities might be (you don’t have to pick real numbers). • We’ll spend the next 15 minutes discussing in small groups.

18. Small group discussion topics • What’s the distribution of your activities across the four audiences? Do you focus on one or two more so than others? If so, is there a strategic reason for it? • What’s the distribution of educating, influencing, and mobilizing activities throughout your table? Are there pathways for moving your audiences from being educated to mobilized? Are you making efforts to mobilize some audiences more than others? • Theoretically, how would you measure the outputs and outcomes of these activities? Do you have the ability to do so in practice? • Do all of the activities that you listed support your long-term policy goal? Is there anything that seems extra? What might you consider changing?

19. Large Group Debrief and Q&A United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley

20. Thank you! United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley