NOVEMBER 12, 2021

How YEN is helping partners create a roadmap for change

Every community needs a roadmap for change. A Theory of Change (TOC) outlines how to create that change.

A theory of change (TOC) is a comprehensive description of why a particular way of working will be effective, showing how change happens in the short, medium, and long term to achieve the intended impact. Essentially it helps to map out the “missing middle” between what a program or change initiative does (its activities or interventions) and how these lead to desired goals being achieved.

ETRs YEN (Youth Engagement Network) is working with four Innovation Partners to explore and test processes to meaningfully engage youth and integrate youth voice into sexual and reproductive health interventions. None of the YEN partners came in with a working TOC, logic model, or conceptual model for their interventions. In addition, they all had difficulty clearly describing the components of their programs.

As YEN moves forward and learns more about youth engagement, they plan to work with each partner to better integrate youth engagement and the theory behind their youth engagement processes and outcomes into each TOC. This process challenged them to question their assumptions and components of their program and more clearly define their ultimate outcomes.

Pam Drake, PhD (Evaluation Director for the YEN and Senior Research Scientist at ETR), shares some insight into the YENs theory of change process with partners in this Q&A.

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What is a Theory of Change?

A TOC essentially provides the blueprint behind your program or intervention. It not only identifies what you plan to do (activities) and what you hope to attain (outcomes/goals) but should also illustrate how or why these activities lead to the endpoints. Sometimes a TOC is interchangeable with the program logic model. However, often the TOC provides more detail that illustrates the underlying theory. It also typically does this in a graphic format that helps a reader visualize the processes and links.

How was the Theory of Change developed for YEN partners, and why?

We worked with the YEN partners to help them each develop a TOC for their individual programs. They all had existing programs when we funded them, but none had a visual TOC; having that was a requirement of our funder. We also eventually were going to work with the partners on an evaluation plan, so we needed a TOC as a starting point. We first started collecting detailed information from each partner describing their interventions. We next had them create something that looked more like a linear logic model (describing inputs, activities, outputs, short- and long-term outcomes). We thought we might stick with that logic model format for our initial phase, but the linear format didn’t describe the interventions well. So, our staff took the information the partners gave us and created an initial MURAL board for each partner, attempting to start diagramming the more complex relationships in each TOC. We introduced these MURAL boards to the partners and had them take it from there with our periodic support.

What is the process like for partners?

This is a cognitively demanding process. Often, we find that partners are doing lots of fun and exciting activities, but they can’t explain why, and they aren’t even sure that what they are doing is really leading to their goals. It takes time to think through the model behind a program and theorize the relationship between activities and outcomes. A lot of the initial time is spent helping partners change the way they look at their program and to think more like an evaluator as opposed to an implementer. It can be very frustrating and confusing at first, but we often see a point where it all clicks. Then they realize how valuable it is – how having a good TOC guides implementation, sets them up for evaluation, and gives them a way to communicate their intervention to others.

What results have partners had from this process?

I think they all are really happy with the models they created. Two of the sites brought in graphic designers and really went all out. For them, these will be communication tools outside of this project. Taking the partners through this initial process has helped us have a common language as we move into guiding them through their evaluations. At the end of the process, we started getting lots of comments about how valuable the process was.

How can other organizations use the Theory of Change?

As an evaluator, I believe we all should be guided by a TOC or logic model in everything we do. My background is in the outcomes-based education movement of the 80s. To be effective, you need to clearly (and this means you and everyone else can see it) know where you are going (whether it’s outcomes for a particular intervention or goals for an agency – or even everyday life!). Next, you need to know that every step/activity you take toward getting there is necessary and sufficient for reaching your endpoint (one of the hardest things is when a group decides they need to cut out a great activity because, as great as it is, it really isn’t helping them get to the finish line). Then you need to constantly have an evaluative feedback loop between your activities and your outcomes (are you doing what you set out to do, are you getting where you want to go, if not, is your theory wrong, or are there outside factors at play?). It’s become the way I think about any project – start at the end and then figure out the best way to get there.

To learn more about Theory of Change visit (Do we have a link or landing page?)

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