How to Measure the Success of a Youth Program
Youth programs help keep kids off the streets and out of trouble. They can have a positive influence on a community by reducing crime and building a deeper respect for society in young adults. Because youth programs often are funded by municipal budgets or charitable donations, there is a great deal of information available about them. Not every youth program is going to live up to its mission statement, but some do far more work than it might seem. Being dogged but remaining objective is the secret to a fair evaluation that will benefit the program, the kids and the community.
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Instructions
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Zero in on one program. Pick one that's either in your area or one outside your area that you think could benefit people if duplicated in your town. Avoid blanket characterizations that all youth programs are well-intentioned or that youth wouldn't need programs if they had better parents and schools. Go into the evaluation with an open mind.
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Set the program apart. Determine what makes it different than others that do the same sort of work. Read up on the program by reviewing its website, perusing newspaper articles and talking to people who use it.
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Make a list of the program's traits on a paper or spreadsheet such as Microsoft Excel. List how you think the program best benefits kids and society. List also the areas where you think it could expand. Use side-by-side columns to compare those traits with those of similar programs. A good method is to continually question what the program adds to what kids are getting at home, in church or in school.
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Make a list of what matters most. Read the program's mission statements and establish benchmarks that judge how well that mission statement is followed. Think about how youth development factors into education, crime and the economy. Set reasonable expectations on what kids and parents should be getting out of the program.
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Find the budget. Do a Web search for the organization's name and "annual budget" or call the organization to ask for a copy. Remember that if the organization receives federal, state or local government funding, you are entitled to see a copy of the expenses. In most cases, organizations with a 501(c)(3) nonprofit status should have available at least an annual report. However, the organization may charge a duplication fee to cover the cost of materials and staff time in making the copy.
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Examine the numbers. Look at staffing costs compared to program costs. Be ever critical about how much money the organization spends on itself compared to how much it spends on the kids.
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Compute a cost ratio. Divide the total budget by the number of kids in the program. Divide that number of days or hours the program is in service. The goal is to say how much the organization spends on each child. Breaking it down to time intervals also will give perspective on how much each dollar is worth to the program.
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Compare the costs to other organizations. A good way to do this is to compare overall budgets, then factor in how many kids are served by the other programs.
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Look for success stories. Attend the next board of directors meeting or read the organization's annual review. Ask for at least one concrete example of a child who has been put on track for a better future because of the youth program.
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Find greater context for the organization's work. Call the county's criminal court clerk to ask for the annual juvenile case load for the past five years. Look for an increase in those numbers. Look for graduation rate data from the state department of education.
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Put your thoughts on paper. Write a report listing all positive and negative points of the program. Use bullet points and stick to raw facts. Craft a brief intro with your thoughts but avoid narrative language, which can lead to opinionated phrases, for the bulk of the report.
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Use the information to influence change in your community. Post your findings online. Mail your report to the board of directors. Write a letter to the editor of the local newspaper.
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Tips & Warnings
If you want to get even more analytical, research the board of directors. Scan the organization's website for this list and call the organization to ensure the list is up-to-date. Use a Web search to figure out more about each of the people on the board. Look for connections with political funding by searching their names in the Federal Election Commission's campaign finance database.
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Resources
- Photo Credit youth soccer image by Steve Brase from Fotolia.com
