Effectiveness of a Collective Impact Initiative to Reduce Seniors’ Isolation
The need:
Keeping older people socially connected has become the number one issue facing seniors in Canada today. With funding from the Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program and in partnership with Innoweave, a multi-sectoral collaboration of agencies was created to measurably reduce seniors’ isolation in Metro Vancouver using a collective impact model. The collaborative needed help to establish common goals, test innovative approaches, and measure impacts.
What we did:
We completed a robust, mixed-methods evaluation that effectively responded to the multiple needs of the collaborative over a three-year period. Timely data informed their decision making and supported them to pivot strategies early on. Changes in isolation were evaluated at the project and community levels by crafting common indicators and through a combination of hard data and seniors’ stories. Through our work, the collaborative demonstrated their impact and used findings to advocate for sustainable funding. We helped them to communicate results with community organizations, funders and policy makers, including Honourable Filomena Tassi, Minister of Seniors.
Services:
Developmental Evaluation
Outcome Evaluation
Capacity Building
Impact Areas:
Seniors Isolation
Collective Impact
Systems Change
What our client had to say:
“Elayne has a deeply intelligent curiosity, which makes her an exceptional evaluator. She works with focus and discipline, while keeping her mind open to discoveries that can help create useful, insightful tools for change. She works collaboratively, engaging people at all levels of a project to shape a clear picture of both process and impact.”
MARIAM LARSON, FACILITATOR & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST
