Read More: By Animating Democracy/Americans for the Arts, September 5, 2017
“Do you find the question of measuring social change challenging? Maybe even exasperating? You aren’t alone if you ask: ‘How do you demonstrate intangible results such as ‘transformation,’ ‘community building,’ or ‘social justice.'” Or if you believe the idea of applying empirical approaches to art and social change si just plain ill-suited.
“Yet, many see usefulness and necessity in getting ‘more concrete.’ They want to know whether they are meeting their aspirations and goals and why or why not. They want to be convincing to social service or movement building partners of funders and to compete effectively for resources. But even champions of evaluation know that it can be a demanding enterprise, often requiring the help of outside researchers or evaluators, and requiring time and money that are not often available. While there is truth in all of this: Almost any project that aspires to contribute to community, civic, or social change should be able to measure change at some level. The Continuum of Impact is designed to help you get there.”
