Reporting to Funders Undergoes Many Changes

Over the past few months, Calgary Chamber of Voluntary Organizations (CCVO) members have raised concerns about changes taking place in the human services sector regarding the systems used in outcomes measurement, data collection and reporting to funders. CCVO recognizes this as an emerging issue, which is causing significant uncertainty and stress for sector organizations.

Some of the changes that have been identified are:

• The closure of the Canadian Outcomes Research Insitute (CORI) and the resulting loss of the Hull Outcome Monitoring and Evaluation System (HOMES) as of August 31, 2010
• Changes to reporting and data gathering requirements for agencies funded by Family and Community Support Services (FCSS)
• Child & Youth Services implementation of a new outcomes-based system

In addition to these changes, there is further uncertainty regarding reporting plans for agencies funded by United Way (which also uses Homes), and potential changes to reporting requirements for various Alberta ministries.

While these changes are disruptive, they are part of larger systemic shifts, which have the potential to create some benefits for the voluntary sector such as: more flexibility in budgeting for nonprofits and charities; improved capacity to identify results and thus validate funding, and the opportunity to develop systems that may meet the needs of agencies more effectively.

CCVO is observing the convergence of a number of isolated changes (and pending changes) that are having a significant cumulative impact on individual organizations. What we are hearing from organizations is that the degree of change, the number of unrelated changes, and the resulting climate of uncertainty are further complicating what is already a challenging environment. Because the changes are coming from diverse places, they are not necessarily coordinated, aligned or consistent.

Cumulative effects include:

• Increased workload for staff
• The creation of additional processes and duplication of work resulting from multiple reporting requirements from multiple funders
• Costs associated with identifying requirements for new systems
• Limited resources and capacity to address these changes
• Legal and technical complexities

A broader, overarching dynamic in this situation is that most agencies are separately engaged in the same efforts such as: finding a new system to replace HOMES; assessing the technical, legal and operational implications of new requirements; finding a way to effectively interface the systems they currently use with evolving funders' systems; analysing the effect of the changes on their relationships with clients; and so on. While many agencies are dealing with these changes in isolation, there are groups such as the Alberta Association of Services for Children and Families that are working with their member agencies around the issue.

Sector Update: Potential Resources to Replace Homes...read full article.

What CCVO is Doing

CCVO has been engaging in conversation with funders, locally and provincially, sharing the concerns we have heard. Through these conversations, we have started to build awareness about the multiple implications of changes and new initiatives and their impact on agencies.

We are committed to sharing information as it becomes available. In continuing to monitor this issue, it would be helpful to CCVO to hear your experience and/or feedback regarding changes to data collection, outcomes measurement and evaluation systems. Please contact Laura MacKinnon.