Defining Measurable Outcomes

Begin with the end in mind, and imagine a day 6 months after the completion of your Sound Partners collaboration. What do you discover happened when you look back over your project?

What Was the Project Vision?

Begin with the End in Mind

• what was the essence of this project that all partners shared?
  
• what strengths did the station bring to the project?
  
• what strengths did the partner bring to the project?
  
• what did our community gain from our efforts?

Did We Achieve Our Project Goal?

The Community Owns the Problem and Solution

What happened in the community as a result of the partnership's efforts?

• what new knowledge was gained?
  
• what resources were provided?
  
• who was served?
  
• what was the call to action?
  
• what was the response to the call to action?
  
• was there community problem-solving?

What Strategic Goals Were Met by Involvement in the Project?

Action Equals Intention

Why did the station and partners engage in Sound Partners for Community Health?

• outreach is at the core of the station's and partner's public service mission;
  
• serving the community is one way of using the broadcast medium for its highest good;
  
• doing outreach and issuing a call to action is at the core of community service; and
  
• media collaborations allowed all partners, including the broadcaster, to reach new people.

What were the strategic results for the station?

• the station won an Ohio State, Clarion, or RTNDA Award;
  
• the station received recognition from the "City Civic Leaders Forum;"
  
• the station got a distinguished service award from the partners;
  
• there was an increase in individual memberships;
  
• new audiences were cultivated for news programming;
  
• our governing board gained an understanding of the obenefits of outreach;
  
• our efforts were noticed and supported by the state legislature;
  
• there was a large feature on the initiative in the local newspaper; and
  
• we cultivated interest in the station from new funding sources.

What were the strategic results for the community?

• partners received an award at annual national conference;
  
• partners saw an increase in caseload;
  
• new volunteers were recruited to help with initiative;
  
• there was a change in community behavior or awareness;
  
• we gained new understanding of how to work effectively with media;
  
• the effort had the support of our board of directors; and
  
• as a result of these efforts we have located new funding sources.

How did you draw attention to your success?

• we told our story in as many ways as we could;
  
• partners wrote about the project in their newsletters;
  
• we received letters from those affected by our efforts;
  
• we celebrated our success;
  
• we wrote a final report that covered lessons learned;
  
• the station sent final report to our district's state and federal legislators; and
  
• we posted our results nationally on Sound Partners' website.

Congratulations!

Your Sound Partners for Community Health partnership was able to:

• increase public awareness of a specific health issue, and
  
• facilitate citizens' involvement in making decisions affecting health care.