Services
Continuous Learning & Improvement refers to the process of using data to understand what works and apply insights and practices that yield meaningful and measurable improvements in people’s lives.
Continuous Learning & Improvement
We help organizations, networks, and their funders determine, collect, and use data (or measures of success) to engage in processes of continuous learning and improvement. Our services run the gamut from developing performance measurement tools, processes, and systems to performing evaluation assessments, making recommendations for improvement, and providing customized coaching and technical assistance to strengthen nonprofit operations, program quality — and ultimately, outcomes.
GUIDING QUESTIONS:
Would you like to develop performance measurement tools, processes, and systems to measure progress towards your organization’s intended outcomes?
Do you need coaching and technical assistance to strengthen your program’s operations, increase capacity, and improve services to the communities you serve?
Are you seeking to understand your program/organization’s key metrics and impact to date — and how you can continue to improve them?
Continuous Learning & Improvement for Foundations
Root Cause offers extensive expertise in developing performance measurement systems and practices for strategic learning and assessment of social impact. We ground our work around a theory of change with a clear hypothesis and help partners measure and track key indicators of organizational and programmatic effectiveness. Partners gain capacity to make strategic and programmatic decisions based on data and evidence, not assumption or anecdote, so their impact is felt by more people and families.
Continuous Learning & Improvement for Nonprofit Organizations
Root Cause examines how programs and organizations are currently performing and how they can increase sustainability and impact. Our team explores the dimensions most critical to success, including service quality and measurement capacity. Using assessments, research, and other tools, we analyze performance in the context of best practices in the field and help leaders apply strategic learning to program and organization design.
What we do:
Develop performance measurement tools, processes, and systems
Evaluate programs and make recommendations for improvement
Use data, coaching, and technical assistance to strengthen nonprofit operations, program quality, and outcomes
How we do it:
Grounding data collection and analysis in equitable practices
We use a variety of methodologies to help organizations collect feedback and inputs from stakeholders with different power differentials. We strive to make data collection transparent, practical, and accessible to all. We also encourage partners to disaggregate data by race, ethnicity, and income to better understand the root causes driving disparities and identify solutions to reduce them.
Collecting and tracking a limited set of indicators
We know that any performance measurement process, tool, or dashboard needs to be easy to use. By selecting, collecting, and tracking a limited set of indicators, we help partners focus on what is most important and enable them to regularly collect, review, and discuss data and make the necessary improvements.
Focus and test a theory of change
Engage people and families in shaping services to support their success
Assess capacity for performance measurement
Design and build performance measurement tools and processes
Build a culture of and process for continuous quality improvement
Research, assess, and apply evidence-based practices
Develop performance management skills
Learn how people experience barriers to success based on race, class, gender, and geography and design programs to support success for people
Learn about how continuous learning & improvement can build capacity and strengthen quality at our Program Quality Resource Library.
With Us
