Outcomes

Organizations applying for United Way funding are required to complete a Program Outcomes Worksheet, which includes initial, intermediate and long-term outcomes their program should produce. The following criteria are asked of each program.

Program Mission or Goals – The overall purpose or desired effects of the program.

Inputs – The resources such as staff, facilities, volunteers and equipment that are dedicated to or are consumed by the program. Outside resources such as collaborations, service referral providers and community factors may be potential inputs. Also important are constraints on inputs such as laws, contract regulations, zoning requirements, etc. that may impact the use of inputs.

Activities – The types of services the program provides – what the program does with the inputs to fulfill its mission. Examples of activities include: providing counseling to clients, providing training for clients, mentoring clients, providing meals, on-site support for clients, advocacy on client’s behalf, etc.

Outputs – The direct products of program activities usually are measured in terms of the volume of work accomplished. For example, number of counseling sessions conducted, the number of classes taught, number of participants served, etc. The time period these outputs represent should also be included (i.e. a calendar year, a school year, a session, etc.).

Outcomes – The benefits to program participants or changes in KNOWLEDGE, SKILL or BEHAVIOR that participants experience during or as a result of participation in the program. Participant outcomes should logically link back to the activities of the program and flow from initial to intermediate to longer-term in nature.

Indicators – The specific information that will be collected to track a program’s success towards an outcome. Indicators should be observable and measurable – what can be seen, touched, quantified – and demonstrate an outcome-taking place. Indicators are WHAT is being measured, not HOW it is being measured.

The Program Outcomes Worksheet is required for the first and second half of the year in order for the program to receive funding.