by CHRIS bERNARD, IDEALWARE
Community TechKnowledge’s Apricot,” Otey said. “We’re in the process of getting those up and running now, so we aren’t far enough along to determine the pros and cons.” Staff use eTapestry for donor relations and communication management—basically, tracking all contacts, relationships and gifts, and sending electronic newsletters. Apricot until serves as a “resident management system” she said—basically, a case recently, management database. “It’s not completely set up yet,” STAFF Otey said. “The big benefit is that TRACKED it’s totally customizable, but it takes so much staff time to create EVERYTHING all the user-defined fields. With a handful of staff, it’s tough to get IN EXCEL. that up and running.” The two systems aren’t inte- OR AT grated at all, and there’s no need LEAST, THEY for them to be. “The only need I would see for TRIED TO. that is, when a resident who is being tracked in Apricot moves out, then she would be put into the eTapestry,” she said. Former residents are still valuable to the organization in many ways, and receive emails and newsletters and sometimes act as volunteers or donors. However, with just 29 residents living at Sarah’s at any one time, it’s not difficult to enter the appropriate information manually. “I’m sure our tracking will become more complex, and our reporting will become more sophisticated as I become more comfortable.”
What’s this?
CASE STUDY
theory of chanGe What is a “Theory of Change”? It’s a road map that articulates the perception an organization has around what the required building blocks are to reach a complex goal. While we approach every goal with a theory of change, the complexity of the goal is what determines the need to formalize it or not. There is no need to document a theory of change for sending out that newsletter, but more complex missionoriented goals such as alleviating poverty or healthcare for underserved communities can benefit from it. A theory of change includes ideal outcomes, an assessment of current reality, and the elements needed to bridge the gap between the two. More importantly, it makes explicit the values and assumptions that shape the understanding an organization has for the theory. A lack of clarity of the values and assumptions behind an informal theory of change increases the potential for differing “understandings” to impact an organization’s ability to cohesively implement the actions of a more tactical document such as a strategic plan. Explicit values and assumptions also make it easier to communicate with partners and stakeholders around your work. Find more information and examples online here.
NTEN: CHANGE · DECEMBER 2011 · PAGE 21
