June 10th-Using Technology to Develop Program Logic Models

The backbone of most evidence-based nonprofit programs is a sound program logic model . Ideally, the program logic model shows the relationships between a community's problems and issues that the organization has the capabilities to address; the required resources to address the problems; a set of goals and objectives, the activities in which the organization will engage and the desired results.

The strongest program models are usually developed by soliciting ideas from multiple stakeholders during a face-to-face brainstorming process. What happens when the group is not able to meet in person, or, if you would like a professional-looking flow chart to diagram the relationships?

We will have a product demonstration of the Dylomo platform. Dylomo is a new web-based tool that can be used to create interactive, online logic models. This tool was developed to create logic models that can represent the complex, dynamic nature of programs. Dylomo allows users to customise and change connections and highlight individual paths along the logic model, making the specific chains of logic clear.

Dylomo was created by Beth Snow, a Canadian Evaluation Society (CES) member and volunteer, and Nancy Snow, and was tested at the last CES conference in St. John’s, Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada in June 2016, and was demonstrated at the Australasian Evaluation Society conference in Perth, Australia, 2016. Nancy Snow will conduct the demonstration.

June 16th-Accounting in A Cloud to Promote Workplace Safety and Efficiency

During this time of working remotely, working "in the cloud" is more important than ever, as we promote workplace safety, streamline processes and measure our performance.

Sage Intacct helps finance professionals and small business owners increase efficiency and drive growth for their organizations. This is achieved by providing solutions to automate your processes so you can run your day-to-day business better. And by giving you greater insight and flexibility—so you can make confident long-term decisions, then act fast to execute changes. Find out more about how we’re built to be different, and why it should matter to you.

Brent Nietz, Senior Manager with Wipfli, will conduct a demonstration for us.

June 17th-Using Technology to Develop A Theory of Change

Theory of Change explains the process of change by outlining causal linkages in an initiative, i.e., its shorter-term, intermediate, and longer-term outcomes. The identified changes are mapped – as the “outcomes pathway” – showing each outcome in logical relationship to all the others, as well as chronological flow. The links between outcomes are explained by “rationales” or statements of why one outcome is thought to be a prerequisite for another. (Wikipedia)

The innovation of Theory of Change lies (1) in making the distinction between desired and actual outcomes and (2) in requiring stakeholders to model their desired outcomes before they decide on forms of intervention to achieve those outcomes.

Theory Maker is a free web app by Steve Powell for making any kind of causal diagram, i.e. a diagram which uses arrows to say what contributes to what. In particular, it is optimised for making theories of change, logframes, etc. - special kinds of pragmatic causal theory which are particularly popular at the moment in the world of monitoring and evaluation (M&E). Steve will do a live demonstration of the product for us.

June 18th-Panel Discussion- Building Teams and Maintaining Productivity

The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, and shelter-in-place orders has caused many of us to social distance and work remotely over extended periods of time. Even though our cities will be opening up for business incrementally, there are some indications that managing from anywhere may become part of our new normal post-COVID-19. This panel was designed to share strategies for working remotely such that there is a seamless transition between working in the office, the home, or anywhere else. The topics and speakers are listed below.

• How to Effectively Manage Employees Remotely-Amy Fox, Deputy Executive Director, Life Span
• Project Management-Shawn Herman Hawkins, Executive Director, Project Management Volunteers (PMV)
• Low-tech, High Impact Solutions for Working Remotely-Linda Stettler

June 23rd-Panel Discussion- Technology Assessment and Planning

Panel Discussion- Technology Assessment and Planning

We've all seen lopsided, piecemeal technology planning, in which the people making the purchase decision or taking the lead in planning are not the ones who are actually using the technology to get their jobs done. Or, technology planning is done in a vacuum, with very little regard for an organization's mission, or how line managers, administrators and fundraisers actually do their jobs. This panel discussion will help you better understand how to align your technology planning with your strategic planning and day-to-day operations. The topics and panelists are outlined below.

• How to Conduct a Technology Needs Assessment-Ryan Peasley, Sr. Manager, Wipfli
• Using TechSoup As A Resource- Elijah van der Giessen, NetSquared Community Manager for TechSoup
• How to Develop A Technology Plan That Aligns With Strategic Plan-Mike Knapp, Strategy and Execution Superhero, Incrementa Consulting
• Incorporating the agile framework into the strategic planning process, Nancy Batterman, Executive Coach and Nonprofit Strategist

June 25th-Panel Discussion-Online Security and Disaster Recovery

Even before the age of "Zoom Bombing", data security was crucial for small businesses and nonprofits. In the age of coronavirus, we must be even more vigilant, particularly in environments in which a significant number of workers are working from home.

Customer and client information, payment information, grant files, permanent records, proprietary data, personnel files, bank account details - all of this information is often impossible replace if lost and dangerous in the hands of criminals. Data lost due to disasters such as a flood or fire is devastating, but losing it to hackers or a malware infection can have far greater consequences. How you handle and protect your data is central to the security of your business and the privacy expectations of customers, employees and partners.

This panel discussion is designed to help you understand the security measures you should have in place in your work environment; how to recover from disaster and manage your risk. The topics and speakers are outlined below.

• Online Security -Emmanuel Jackson, CEO, Evanston Technology Partners
• Risk Management- Tom Wojcinski, Director, WIPLi
• Disaster Recovery-Joe Hillis, Operations Director at Information Technology Disaster Resource Center (invited)

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