How can you ensure your logic model reflects community values?

1 Involve the community

The first step to ensure your logic model reflects community values is to involve the community in the process of developing it. This means engaging with diverse stakeholders, such as community members, leaders, partners, beneficiaries, and funders, to understand their perspectives, expectations, and feedback. You can use various methods to involve the community, such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, workshops, or participatory mapping. By involving the community, you can build trust, ownership, and collaboration, as well as identify the most relevant and realistic inputs, outputs, and outcomes for your program.

2 Use a theory of change

A theory of change is a framework that explains how and why your program will achieve its desired impact. It helps you articulate your assumptions, hypotheses, and evidence behind your logic model. A theory of change can also help you ensure your logic model reflects community values by making explicit the values, beliefs, and principles that guide your program design and implementation. For example, you can use a theory of change to state your vision, mission, values, and principles, as well as the underlying problems, needs, and opportunities that your program addresses. You can also use a theory of change to show how your program aligns with the community's vision, mission, values, and principles, as well as the community's problems, needs, and opportunities.

3 Review and revise

A logic model is not a static document that you create once and forget. It is a dynamic tool that you need to review and revise regularly to ensure it reflects the changing context, conditions, and results of your program. You also need to review and revise your logic model to ensure it reflects the changing values, needs, and preferences of the community you serve. You can use various sources of data and feedback to review and revise your logic model, such as monitoring and evaluation reports, stakeholder consultations, best practices, and lessons learned. By reviewing and revising your logic model, you can ensure it is accurate, relevant, and responsive to your community's values.

4 Communicate and share

A logic model is not only a tool for planning, implementing, and evaluating your program. It is also a tool for communicating and sharing your program's logic, value, and impact with various audiences, such as community members, leaders, partners, beneficiaries, funders, and policymakers. Communicating and sharing your logic model can help you ensure it reflects community values by inviting feedback, input, and support from your stakeholders. You can use various formats and channels to communicate and share your logic model, such as reports, presentations, posters, websites, or social media. By communicating and sharing your logic model, you can increase your program's visibility, credibility, and accountability to your community.

5 Learn and improve

A logic model is not only a tool for communicating and sharing your program's logic, value, and impact. It is also a tool for learning and improving your program's performance, quality, and effectiveness. Learning and improving your logic model can help you ensure it reflects community values by incorporating new insights, evidence, and innovations that can enhance your program's outcomes and impact. You can use various methods and tools to learn and improve your logic model, such as logic model checklists, logic model templates, logic model examples, or logic model software. By learning and improving your logic model, you can ensure it is up-to-date, comprehensive, and consistent with your community's values.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?