Theme:

As government budgets are getting tighter, the value of voluntary sector activities in generating a satisfactory return on investment is increasingly being scrutinized. This has made it imperative for voluntary sector organizations to demonstrate what they can achieve with public monies. However, focusing on outputs has traditionally failed to capture the extent of the contribution of their work, and therefore, the validity and usefulness of the data generated is being questioned. This year's theme deals with some of the challenges of going beyond measuring inputs, activities and outputs in order to assess impacts and outcomes.

A number of collaborative initiatives are underway and innovative experiments in impact assessment methods have emerged that can highlight the benefits of the work of the voluntary sector. This conference will explore what factors are conducive or limiting when implementing successful impact assessment processes.

This conference provides a unique learning experience. By bringing together public servants, academics and community practitioners who reflect different perspectives on issues and challenges, the conference creates a space to learn, explore and share by looking at different facets of a problem. It is designed to help people learn more about effective and meaningful ways to capture the outputs, outcomes and impacts of community and voluntary sector activity.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of the conference participants will:

1. Gain an improved understanding of the challenges and benefits of outcome measurement from various perspectives;
2. Provoke new thinking and learn ways to improve outcome measurement.

Both leaders in the voluntary sector and in government share a common desire to develop outcome measurement processes that are more reliable, are of high quality and generate comparable information that will help to achieve policy goals. This must begin with a common understanding of the key outcomes to be achieved and how to measure them. The first panel will examine the challenges of choosing outcome measures that capture the benefit of community and voluntary sector activity, and will explore the opportunities that flow from better outcome measurement.

Chair:  Rachel Laforest, Assistant Professor, School of Policy Studies, Queen's University

Speakers:

Sheherazade Hirji, Hirji + White Consulting.

Jim Blain, Former Director General of Evaluation at Human Resources and Social Development Canada and Former Director, Effectiveness Measurement, Office of the Auditor General of Canada.

One of the biggest challenges in poverty reduction initiatives has been defining indicators that enable us to measure progress. This session presents the experience within various regions of Canada in identifying poverty reduction and social inclusion indicators which included public participation in  the process to define  outcome measures.

Chair:  Marg Rappolt, Deputy Minister, Community and Social Services, Ontario

Speakers:

Alain Noël, Professor, Department of Political Science at Université de Montréal and President of the Centre d'étude sur la pauvreté et l'exclusion.

Michael Mendelson, Senior Scholar, Caledon Institute of Social Policy.

Jean-Pierre Voyer, President, Social Research and Demonstration Corporation.

Immigrant settlement strategies aim to support the integration of newcomers into society. Successful integration is complex to measure because it is often reflected through long term outcomes. Therefore, finding indicators to assess the desired results of these programs can be challenging. This panel will discuss how to measure the multiple variables that determine successful immigrant settlement and integration.

Chair: Chisanga Puta-Chekwe, Deputy Minister, Citizenship and Immigration, Ontario

Speakers:

Deborah Tunis, Director General, Integration, Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

Jim Frideres, Professor and Program Head, International Indigenous Studies, University of Calgary.

Robin Cardozo, Chief Executive Officer of The Ontario Trillium Foundation.

6:30 pm
Annual Banquet, Keynote Address, University Club, 168 Stuart Street
The Honourable Roy J. Romanow, Chair of the Institute of Wellbeing Advisory Board
He will share the Institute's experience in identifying the wide variety of factors that shape our quality of life and how they arrived at an indicator that captures a broader vision of wellbeing.

Our understanding of the impact of recreation programs on physical and psycho-social health, skill development, violence reduction, and community cohesion, has grown over the years. This panel will discuss how to arrive at indicators that enable us to measure and connect these factors.

Chair:  Rick Beaver, Director, Sport & Recreation Branch, Ministry of Health Promotion, Ontario

Speakers:

Gina Browne, Professor, School of Nursing, McMaster University.

Howie Dayton, Chair of the Ontario Task Group on Access to Recreation for Low-Income Families and Director of Recreation, Town of Ajax.

There are a number of challenges facing voluntary organizations who set out to conduct systematic reviews of the outcomes and impact of their work. These challenges include articulating the desired outcomes, gathering data about the relevant impact of their work, analyzing that data and interpreting the results. There are however many benefits that can ensue from more reliable outcome measurement processes. This concluding panel will bring together some of the lessons learned and promising practices discussed over the course of the conference.

Chair:  Neil Burke, Director, Social Programs Division, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada.

Speaker:

Roger Gibbins, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canada West Foundation.

Amanuel Melles, Director, Capacity Building Unit, United Way, Toronto

Rachel Laforest, Head of the Public Policy and Third Sector Initiative
  Telephone: 613.533.6000 ext. 77264
  Email: laforest@queensu.ca