For your community intervention, both the process and outcomes should be evaluated. Sample evaluation projects along with a sample process and sample outcome evaluation measures are show below.
An evaluation of the group work of the youth leadership group. You engage the youth leadership committee in a process of focusing on the gain achieved by the group as a whole, as well as individual outcomes (e.g., group bonding, enhanced leadership skills, civic engagement).
Process: the average number of youth attending meetings, inclusion of youth representing different constituencies, percent of youth members who actively participate
Outcome: enhanced leadership skills as measured by the Youth Leadership Inventory.
Evaluation of pre- and post-measures of community involvement by community residents. For example, the group could gather data on the numbers of residents involved in various committees of neighborhood organizations.
Process: Number of residents receiving news about community meetings, issues of community newsletter published
Outcome: Number of residents involved in neighborhood organizations, number of followers on neighborhood social media channels.
Qualitative study of the opinions of different residents who speak at community-related gatherings. The youth group could use interviews or focus groups to assess residents’ experiences in the community planning process
Process: number of interviews conducted.
Outcome: A report summarizing community opinion of the redevelopment plan.
The youth group could also gather feedback about the level of involvement and empowerment of neighborhood residents by doing key informant interviews with ministers of area houses of worship and professionals who serve the community through the area nonprofits (Circle of Concern, Food Pantry, Catholic Charities, Community Center, Brickville Boys and Girls Club, and the Brickville Community Development Corporation).
Process: A review of the extent to which interviewers asked similar questions of each key informant, number of interviews conducted.
Outcome: A report summarizing key informant opinion of the redevelopment plan.
The CDC could do a telephone survey to document the feelings and opinions that community residents have about the redevelopment plan (perhaps in partnership with a local foundation or media outlet).
Process: An analysis of the extent to which various community constituencies participated in the survey (for example, participation rate by income level, gender, or race).
Outcome: A report detailing community opinion about the development plan.
To evaluate your work with Brickville, consider the following:
Identify one additional process and one outcome measure for each sample evaluation project above.
Your ultimate goal is to resolve community differences regarding the redevelopment plan. How will you know whether you have accomplished this goal, that is, how will you measure it?