white paper on performance management for community ... - FACA

NASCSP 2013
CONCLUSION
The Community Action Network's mission as outlined in the CSBG Statute is to reduce poverty,
revitalize low-income communities, and empower low-income families and individuals in rural
and urban areas to become fully self-sufficient. Performance management has been a part of
the history of Community Action throughout the last 50 years and has enabled the Network to
better serve people with low incomes and their communities. The ROMA Next Generation
Center of Excellence (COE) aims to strengthen the network's ability to address the needs of
vulnerable populations through the development of a theory of change and improving the data
reporting system.
The draft Theory of Change for Community Action outlines the unique operating structure of
the Community Action Network and highlights two long term goals: family self-sufficiency and
revitalized communities. The COE has provided eight options for improving the National
Performance Indicators within our CSBG IS Survey to measure progress towards each of the
long-term goals. The COE has also outlined several options for more detailed reporting on the
use of CSBG funds specifically. Further discussion is needed within the Network and with
outside experts to decide the best path forward; a path that both strengthens the Network's
management and accountability system as well as the demands of a more rigorous evidencebased
environment. This <strong>paper</strong> is just the beginning of this discussion and NASCSP looks
forward to continuing to engage all levels of the Network to participate in this process.
Conversations will continue through webinars, surveys, and many other venues to allow
opportunities for input from all levels of the Network. For additional resources regarding the
activities of the ROMA Next Generation Center of Excellence and to see the latest drafts of the
TOC and other working documents, please visit nascsp.org-CSBG-ROMA.
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