Monday, April 20, 2015

Stories From The Street...And Beyond...

I have the distinct honor of being asked to produce the book "Stories From The Street" an intimate Stories From The Streets Kickstarter
look at life as a street child in Accra, Ghana. And like most of my projects, we will be looking at the strengths, resources and perseverance of those who have survived and have even had successes through their challenges and obstacles. We are going to learn from the experts and we have so much to learn. You can get more information here:

To get the book to print in time for Street Girls Aid 20th Anniversary celebration this is going to take a considerable effort and I will need your full participation to make it happen. It is doable and I am ready to complete the project, the stories are sitting on my desk waiting to be edited, the photos waiting to be selected and the context content ready to be written and your participation in this Stories From The Streets Kickstarter will mean that this will be done in time to be delivered to the storytellers.

Stories From The Streets Kickstarter was originally dreamed by the Street Girls Aid staff during our strategic planning sessions and they have spent the last year seeking out former street children served by Street Girls Aid and interviewing them - I have those stories resting in the palm of my hands and they are screaming to be told. The storytellers deserve to have their voices heard, and just as importantly, the impact of these stories must be shared globally. When you join the Kickstarter - you will be part of lifting and sharing those stories.

It is really easy to join in to the Stories From The Streets Kickstarter and your pledge will only be redeemed when the goal is reached and after the target end date of May 10th. Together we can make this happen. Thank you for your support today!

Stories from street children served by Street Girls AID Ghana…will inspire, inform, and teach.  Share globally; impact generations. Stories From The Streets Kickstarter






Thursday, March 19, 2015

Six Questions To Ask & Answer Before Conducting An Impact Evaluation


Six Questions To Ask & Answer Before Conducting An Impact Evaluation
Rotary District 5960 Impact Evaluation Summary

By Kathy Stutzman, M.A., M.A.

Rotary District 5960 is developing a relevant impact evaluation; including why and when impact evaluation is important and what we hope to accomplish through an impact evaluation.  In this particular initiative, Rotary District 5960 was conducting a pilot project, developing new methodologies and conducting new research about delivering services in the world in different ways. This executive summary reviews six questions that are critical to ask and answer before conducting an impact evaluation.

Impact Evaluation Summary

When conducting an “evaluation” the groups involved need to be clear about the following questions prior to beginning:
  • What are we evaluating?
  • Why are we evaluating?
  • When are we evaluating (timeframe)?
  • Who is conducting the evaluation, and who is being surveyed?
  • What instruments are being used? Why? Standardized? Ease of collation, accessibility?
  •  What are we going to do with the data?

These questions MUST be answered before you begin developing any type of evaluation. Clarity and understanding of what you hope to accomplish is critical to the fidelity of the evaluation.
In any research or pilot project there are many levels of evaluation used, as knowledge and information evolves and as lessons learned require modification of direction or process. As part of this effort we studied a presentation by Jacqueline Novogratz of the Acumen Fund about new techniques that Acumen has been exploring in order to evaluate social impact. This is a brief summary:
  
1.      Pioneer Capital Evaluation is measuring lessons learned, inspiration and replicability. This evaluation is a longitudinal study.  This is being done through reviewing original goals, objectives and hypothesis and charting them against lessons learned and the replicability of the overall Initiative. Funding, volunteer engagement and resources leveraged are part of the data being analyzed. The Simple Poverty Scorecard for Nicaragua developed by Microfinance Risk Management, L.L.C. is one of the measurement tools utilized in this evaluation.

2.      Growth Capital Evaluation is measuring increased capacity, leadership and project planning.
a.       The first evaluation instrument used was a “Community Assessment Survey” administered by the community itself and the local NGO, to the entire subject community.  This survey was a valuable resource in determining demonstrated readiness and viability of project planning as well as indicators of community leadership and increased capacity. In the future it is recommended  the survey questions become more standardized, the baseline questions from the Poverty Index be included and the data is analyzed using a statistical computing program.  However, for purposes of this evaluation, the information that was extrapolated from the survey was useful in determining impact.
b.      A Process and Relationship Assessment” was conducted in person amongst a delegation from D-5960, the local NGO, and community members. The survey consists of a questionnaire which uses standardized questions to measure relationships, leadership and capacity. Also included were questions to gather antidotal information in order to inspire improvements and opportunities for growth.
c.       Relationships are an instrumental part of the Initiative, and there needs to be effort taken to include relationship questions during the pioneer capital stage of the development.
d.      Additional measurements of impact of growth capital include the increased social ties and leveraged resources and funding for identified plans – demonstrating the fidelity and increased capacity, leadership and project planning.

3.      Project or Impact Evaluation: Projects will have their own inherent evaluations and those evaluations may be funder driven, goal and objective driven or be determined by community demographics. To measure the effectiveness of the impact of the Initiative on the overall economic well-being of a community, the measurements will come from funder, or project driven evaluations, baseline data collected in the “Community Assessment” and a pre-and post-test of the Simple Poverty Scorecard for Nicaragua. An additional matrix has been developed to collate relevant pieces of data across the spectrum of project related evaluations.

Before any group begins dedicating resources to “impact evaluation” please answer the first six questions listed above. Once you are clear about the how, why and whens, carefully consider who will be spearheading the evaluation process and how much of your resources you are going to dedicate to the evaluation process. Begin your evaluation conversation informed and by sharing a common language about what you hope to accomplish in your impact evaluation. It is through those conversations that each organization can answer the “impact evaluation” question in a manner that works best for your own group.

Respectfully Submitted, Kathy Stutzman, M.A., M.A. kastutzm@smig.net (507) 219-0912 http://www.linkedin.com/in/kathystutzman or www.KathyStutzman.blogspot.com

This initiative and resulting evaluations are the collective work of countless people.  This executive summary is an excerpt from a larger body of work that an evaluation committee is developing to measure impact within the Rotary District 5960’s poverty eradication initiative in Nicaragua. We are currently in the early stages of disseminating information from evaluations and progress made over the past seven years. This summary is submitted solely by the author, who is a member of the Initiative’s Steering Committee and the evaluation subcommittee.  To learn more about Rotary District 5960’s work on this impact evaluation, you may contact the author.

This article was written as a reply to Quentin Wodon's question posed on Linkedin and on Rotarian Economist asking if impact evaluations are important in Rotary click on this link to read that article: Impact Evaluations: Do We Need Them in Rotary

Kathy Stutzman has been a Rotarian in the Austin Rotary Club for 24 years and has been a member of Rotary District 5960’s Fast For Hope Committee since 2007 when the group began exploring new ways to serve as Rotarians in the world. As a result of her experience within Rotary and the Fast For Hope Committee specifically, she was asked to speak at TEDxHoracePark in March of 2014 http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/The-Power-Responsibility-of-One  and her work with a team of women in Ghana was featured in The Rotarian Magazine in August 2014, http://therotarianmagazine.com/out-of-chaos  As a consultant she has been conducting evaluations for businesses and organizations since 1999. An author and facilitator, Ms. Stutzman loves creating connections and then “watching the magic happen.”


Sunday, March 1, 2015

100 Days of Giving Now Available in Print

I am so proud of this book and can't wait for others to be able to enjoy is too. Although it was published as an e-book last year, the stories and writing exercises lend themselves much better to a printed book. The book includes stories, exercises and suggestions for dailiy giving experiences and a 100 day journal for you to document and write about your own giving journey. Please enjoy and I look forward to hearing about how giving has impacted you.

100 Days of Giving Paperback Edition

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Give the gift of confidence

Do you know someone struggling with confidence? A friend going through a tough time? A transition? My latest e-book "Up and Over: Boost Your Confidence When There is None to be Found" is a fun easy read and is sure to give all readers a boost. Available at Amazon and Smashwords.

For a new article about maintaining your confidence while job hunting follow this link:



Sunday, October 26, 2014

NaNoWriMo 2014 - It's Here!

Even though I have taken on this challenge - I am accepting new projects, so please contact me with your latest challenge and let me help you create solutions! Creating meaningful connections!




UPDATES on word counts and progress can be found by clicking on the links below -

For more information about what I am going to be doing in November - read the articles below (by following  each of the links)  about NaNoWriMo. Who is going to join me?

Prep for NaNoWriMo Update and Strategies


I am participating in NaNoWriMo 2014. There I've said it...now what does that mean?

Monday, October 13, 2014

I haven't met a problem that I can't assemble a team to resolve

Comprehensive, custom tailored solutions for your company’s unique needs...here's what that looks like:

Complex problems can benefit from a
30,000 foot perspective 
 An employer contracted with me to resolve their daily 18% absenteeism rate related to child care issues. As the project leader of the team which I assembled to resolve this crisis, we were able to reduce the daily absenteeism rate related to child care to zero within 7 months. That problem remains non-existent several years later. The employer’s problem was also a community problem and I brought together resources to match needs, developed a common vision and shared language around the issue and influenced changes to statewide policy and legislation to create a solution for all involved. The project has received state and national acclaim and is considered a model of community responsiveness, a promising practice for working with urgent employer needs and was presented numerous awards for working with diverse populations.