Create useful logic models

Most human services nonprofits have at least heard of a logic model and most likely created one for a grant application. A logic model is a visual way of explaining your theory of change. The United Way of America popularized the logic model process in 1996. A logic model should be more than just a simple step in writing a grant application; it can and should be useful to your organization.

The basic idea of ​​a logic model is to show the relationships between inputs and outputs, as well as intermediate activities, outputs, and the environment of a program or intervention. At the lowest level, it shows your program’s theory of change: If we provide these resources, then we can perform these activities. If our population participates in these activities, these products will be produced. If all of these things happen, our theory says that this outcome (or change) will happen in our community or for our participants. In visually drawing these relationships, we must acknowledge the assumptions we make about the connections between our activities and the expected results.

Since the main purpose of the logic model is to express a program’s theory of change, a common process is to start with the desired results and work backward. For example, if an organization wants to change Problem X in the community, the planning team might say, “What needs to happen for Problem X to change?” Continuing to ask what would change or affect each step above will help your team focus on results rather than activities.

One of the common mistakes when creating a logic model is confusing the products with the results. Outcomes are the programs or services an organization provides, while outcomes are the difference those programs and services made in our community. Here are some examples:

Departure: food pantry with evening hours. Result: A person who works a low-wage job has dinner today.

Check-out: free baby car seats and set-up assistance. Result: keep a child safe in the car.

Result: design of the city’s public works department project and number of potholes repaired. Result: better traffic flow, shorter travel times and fewer accidents.

As you can see, what really matters to us is the result. Since results can be difficult to measure and we assume that the link between our products and the result is obvious, it is easy to focus on activities and products rather than results. Using a logic model process can help.

Since some funding agencies require logic models in a certain visual format, teams can get stuck making ideas fit into the logic model boxes rather than focusing on the modeling process itself. One of the best ways we’ve seen to help a team with this process is for the team to use a whiteboard and sticky notes to easily change the headings and order of ideas. You can start by dividing the board into four columns: inputs, activities, outputs, and results, then team members write ideas on sticky notes that are placed in the columns. Team members, or a facilitator, can draw arrows, rearrange notes, and add new columns or charts, even working for several days.

Once your team has reached consensus on your theory of change, you can put it in a visual format. You could even end up with multiple models. For example, an overview template and then more detailed templates for specific programs. Below are just a few examples of what your model might look like. The template that most nonprofits are familiar with is the United Way.

Sometimes a flowchart logic model visually explains your theory of change more fully.

In recent years, we have also seen network analysis style diagrams used to visually express logic models. The American Evaluation Association website is a good place to learn more about current debates and best practices in logic modeling.

Big donors like the United Way, the WK Kellogg Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention encourage nonprofits to use logic models for more than grant applications. Some of the more common uses suggested by these funding agencies are:

• Program planning
• Deployment development
• Disseminate information to employees and partners.
• Identify your underlying beliefs and assumptions.
• Provide a framework for conversation and team understanding.
• Make sure the evaluations focus on the most important parts of the program.

Once you’ve mapped your theory of change on the team’s whiteboard, it’s time to create the visual. If you are creating the logic model for a grant application, the donor can provide a template in MS Word, MS Excel, or another format. If not, United Way provides templates in both MS Word and Excel. If you want something a little more elegant, or in a flowchart or visual network analysis, you can use a free or low-cost diagramming tool like Draw.io or LucidChart (both awarded by PC Magazine in 2016 with high marks).

Logic models can be powerful tools when used by a nonprofit to communicate the theory of change behind program decisions. While creating one can be a daunting task, there are many resources to help you. See further reading below.

Further reading:

We suggest the following classics, which you can find at your local grant library or online.

United Way of America. (nineteen ninety six). Measuring program results: a practical approach.

Arlington, VA.

WK Kellogg Foundation (2004). Logic model development guide. Battle Creek, MI.

US Department of Health and Human Services (2005). Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention. Office of the Director, Office of Strategy and Innovation. Introduction to Program Evaluation for Public Health Programs: A Self-Study Guide. Atlanta Georgia.

Ellen Taylor-Powell and Ellen Henert, University of Wisconsin Extension (2008). Developing a logic model: Didactic and formative guide. Madison, WI.

The American Evaluation Association has several publications on logic models.