5 Steps to Create a Winning Logic Model

Are you tired of having your grant proposals rejected?

The downfall of many requests for funding is a poor logic model.

Are you a nonprofit sector CEO, grantwriter, or evaluator who wants to improve the odds of receiving funding for your program, clients and staff? If so, this post provides a step-by-step approach to building logic models that funders will be excited by.

I’ve recently been working with nonprofit CEOs who have come to me for evaluation work. (I love doing program evaluations, by the way!) Both of them had a common experience that logic models had been “forced on them by funders”. One had attended a 3- hour workshop and came out just as unclear as she was going in. The other just didn’t have the time to “deal with it” and wanted me to help her craft it for her grant.

Another CEO who was unsure how logic models should look had two strong-willed staff members with different ideas about how their grant’s logic model should look! She wanted “the right” answer to get bickering to stop.

Since most funders now require applicants to include a logic model in their proposals, you NEED to know how to create logic models that make your proposal much more likely to get the resources your agency needs.

But just what is a logic model, and how can you tell a good one from any other?

One government agency provides this information:

“A logic model is a tool that presents the conceptual framework for a proposed project and explains the linkages among program elements. While there are many versions of the logic model, they generally summarize the logical connections among the needs that are the focus of the project, project goals and objectives, the target population, project inputs (resources), the proposed activities/processes directed toward the target population, the expected short- and long-term outcomes the initiative is designed to achieve, and the evaluation plan for measuring the extent to which proposed processes and outcomes actually occur (Administration on Children, Youth and Families, 2014, p. 21).”

Many people working in nonprofits can’t put together a clear logic model even after trying to learn; this is usually because they focus on what they DO, not what they want to achieve.

I believe everyone CAN learn. I’m also sure that only those who master this task are likely to receive funding in the future.

In case you need additional motivation to learn how to develop effective logic models, think about the answers to these questions:

• What’s likely to happen to your organization if you don’t get grant funding?
• What’s likely to happen to your colleagues’ jobs if you don’t bring in the resources needed to pay them?
• What’s going to happen to your agency’s clients if you don’t have programs available to assist them with services?

Here’s an example of what a basic completed logic model looks like:

Here’s the process I used to create it.

Step 1: Propose the Problem Statement

Your must know what problem you’re trying to solve for your program’s clients. This can be surprisingly difficult to put into words because you are NOT just providing services, you’re trying to change their lives.

For example, this problem statement is inadequate: “The problem we are seeking to solve is a lack of youth counseling services.” Not having services is NOT the problem that a funder wants to address.

Here is a better example: “The problem we are seeking to solve is the large number of fights caused by the inability of youth to resolve disagreements with peers, teachers, and family members.” That gives you some easy to understand elements to focus your program on, and a clear set of outcomes to judge the results by-elements that funders are looking for.

After the problem statement, the logic model has six columns. Arrows connect what is written in one column to something else in the next column to the right or even within the same column. These arrows are the “logic” of the program. If the column to the left or top is achieved, then we believe that the element at the end of the arrow will be achieved. Each arrow can be considered to show a hypothesis that the two elements are linked.

Step 2: Indicate the Inputs You Need

The “inputs” column is the first one to the left. If describes what resources you will need to put your program into action, and result in positive changes to the clients who will be in the program.

Inputs are things like funding, staff members with particular skills, training in advanced skills, and space for the program to take place.

Step 3: Articulate the Activities of the Program

This part of the logic model is usually quite easy for program developers. This is what program staff “do”! Activities include what staff members are responsible for (teaching classes, mediating between students and school personnel, interfacing with parents, and so on). In this example, we indicate two activities for staff members to accomplish: case management for youth, and individual counseling of youth who are participating in fights.

The arrows from Inputs to Activities show that conducting the activities is dependent on having the inputs (resources) available.

Step 4: Lay Out the Outputs

Of all the aspects of the logic model, perhaps the most confusing are the “outputs”. What is an output? It is the tangible result of the activity. Often, a number is attached here, but not always. In this case, an output of case management by the staff member (an activity) is a referral to another agency that has the ability to assist the client. Funders want to know “how many” outputs you’ll accomplish-this may be listed on the logic model or it may not. Similarly, the activity of individual counseling leads to the output of “counseling sessions are held”. A reasonable number might be 200 counseling sessions in the school year.

Step 5: Offer the Outcomes

Outcomes are changes in the clients-their skills, knowledge, beliefs, status or abilities. These happen over a period of time, some before others. Later ones require the achievement of the earlier ones. Because of this time dimension, outcomes are divided into short-term, medium-term, and long-term.

Short term outcomes are the direct result of the activities and their associated outputs. In this example, the program wants to see youth have a better recognition of the role anger plays in their lives. This is a change in knowledge.

This one short-term outcome leads to another one: Youth will develop a beginning level of skill to handle their anger. This outcome must be achieved before the medium term outcomes of higher level use of skills to handle anger and ability to reframe situations so that anger occurs less frequently.

As you can see, the arrows moving from left to right, or up and down, show the assumed logical connection between one element of the program and the next.

Finally, we reach the long-term outcome on the right side of the logic model. This is what we are trying to change in clients’ lives. Note that the long-term outcome(s) are the opposite of the initial problem statement. If the program accomplishes this, then it is a success!

YOU Can Do This!

As you can see, the step-by-step approach to creating logic models can be learned by anyone. You need to expect that the final logic model may be the result of several false starts, changes in wording, and negotiation between important stakeholders. Still, in the end, you’ll have a solid foundation for grant writing, program evaluation, and program management.

Won’t it feel great when you read that your proposal has been accepted? It all starts with an excellent logic model.

If you want to know why you need to have an outside reviewer look your proposal over before you submit it, click here.

Originally published at http://richardhoefer.com.