Upcoming Event: Evaluating Policy Change and Advocacy

For those of you in the funding community who are already planning your Fall schedules, we have an exciting event to share.

On Wednesday, September 15th from 3:00 - 5;00 pm, Philanthropy New York will present Can You Hear Us Now: Evaluating Policy Change and Advocacy. Among other speakers, the panel will feature the Ms. Foundation's own A. Caroline Hotaling, Program Officer for National Policy and Strategic Opportunities.

The session will explore approaches to evaluating advocacy and public policy funding and the significance of evaluation in the funding process. From the Philanthropy New York site:

The attraction of public policy and advocacy funding is its potential to leverage systemic change. But [how] do you know if it’s working, especially when advocacy work is usually a long-term investment with long-term outcomes?

Evaluation has the potential to inform and strengthen advocacy and policy change work. It yields information for learning and improvement, and for reporting and accountability. Advocacy and policy change evaluation is a critical tool for ensuring that the work is on track—and for identifying when it has gone astray so that course corrections can be made.

Topics will include:

• How advocacy and policy change work is different from other philanthropic work, and how these differences affect evaluation.
• What does interim progress mean? What types of measures are appropriate?
• What needs to be decided when designing an advocacy/policy change evaluation?

CEOs, trustees, program officers, evaluation officers, and other funders are encouraged to attend.

Register now for what's sure to be a thought-provoking event! (Registration closes on Sept. 13.)