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publication Apr 2021

Policy Wins Aren’t Enough; We Need Advocacy that Builds Power

While getting policy wins and systems changes is important, what does it mean to center impacted communities as the drivers of change? What does it mean to make building their power the ultimate goal of advocacy work? What does it require of the broader ecosystem of advocacy actors who also are involved in the work? CEI's evaluation report of The California Endowment's Building Healthy Communities initiative explores these questions and more.

By Mariah Brothe Gantz, Julia Coffman, Gigi Barsoum, Albertina Lopez

publication Mar 2021

Tools and Tips for Implementing Contribution Analysis

Get practical lessons on applying contribution analysis to advocacy impact evaluations, especially when dealing with time and resource constraints. Contribution analysis does not seek to "prove" the role of a particular actor or set of actors in bringing about change, but instead to develop a plausible, credible evidence-based narrative to answer causal questions about their influence.

By Laura Hopkins

event Dec 2020

American Evaluation Association (2020)

CEI staff presented at the virtual American Evaluation Association conference in October 2020.

publication Oct 2020

Supporting Effective Early Childhood Advocacy

Using an evaluative method called contribution analysis, we developed a “contribution story” that assesses SCAN’s contribution to a key ECE policy outcome or win in each state: New Hampshire, New Mexico, Tennessee, and South Carolina.

By Mariah Brothe Gantz, Kat Athanasiades, Julia Coffman

publication Jun 2019

When the Best Offense is a Good Defense: Understanding and Measuring Advocacy on the Defense

With advocacy, a “win” can mean avoiding a disadvantageous policy or holding the line on past wins. This brief covers how advocates conceptualize five different types of defense, and how to think about defense-specific outcomes, impact, and evaluation.

insight Jun 2019

It’s Time to Evaluate 501(c)(4) Activities

Advocacy evaluators need to reckon with evaluating 501(c)(4) tactics, otherwise we will find ourselves unable to speak meaningfully to the progress and setbacks our clients experience.

By Kat Athanasiades

publication Dec 2017

Evaluating Coalitions and Networks: Frameworks, Needs, and Opportunities

An impressive array of approaches, frameworks, and tools have been developed to evaluate coalitions and networks. This brief critically examines these resources, and points to challenges and opportunities that remain in efforts to assess their effectiveness and impact.

publication Nov 2017

Contribution Analysis in Policy Work: Assessing Advocacy’s Influence

How do we know what difference advocacy really makes? This brief explores the methodological application of contribution analysis, a non-experimental impact evaluation method, to advocacy and offers guidance for evaluators considering this approach.

publication May 2017

Strategy Behind the Design of Advocacy Communications Support

Foundations that fund advocacy understand the critical role communications play in policy change efforts. How can foundations best support grantees’ advocacy communications? This brief offers lessons based on the experiences of advocacy grantmaking initiatives.

publication Feb 2017

Considering Starting a 501(c)4? Case Studies

Thinking about starting a 501(c)(4) to enable a wide range of advocacy activities, including electoral advocacy? Learn from those who've already done it.

By Alliance for Justice

insight Feb 2017

Making Collaborative Advocacy Work

For many foundations, collaboration is key to advocating for policy and practice change. But these kinds of partnerships can be challenging to execute well. This collection from GrantCraft and IssueLab brings together dozens of reports and reflection pieces about multi-party advocacy efforts; providing valuable perspective on both the sticking points and how we might move through them.

By GrantCraft and IssueLab

publication Oct 2016

501(c)(4) Strategy and Discussion Guide

This guide is for individuals, organizations, and funders interested in starting 501(c)(4) organizations. It discusses the strategic questions that must be considered in determining whether, when, and for what purpose(s) to create a 501(c)(4).

By Alliance for Justice