Performance Measurement Initiative

This toolkit is designed to help you learn about, prepare for, and implement the new directions in performance measurement for Senior Corps as set forth in the Senior Corps Field Guidance from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS).

For Senior Corps grantees, new performance measurement requirements go into effect beginning with the July 1, 2003 grant cycle. For Senior Corps grantees in any other grant cycle, the performance measures will apply at the time of the next application.

The purpose of this toolkit is to introduce performance measurement as part of the Programming for Impact (PFI) approach already used by Senior Corps projects and to help you meet new performance measurement requirements. This toolkit describes:

1. Performance measurement requirements and criteria for selecting work plans to measure performance. This section assists you to think through the issues pertinent to writing work plans for measuring performance.
2. The components of the PFI approach—including community need, service activities, inputs, anticipated accomplishments, and anticipated impacts. This section highlights the expanded impact that includes the result (intermediate outcome or end outcome), indicator, instrument, and target.
3. What to consider when choosing instruments and identifying data collection strategies for performance measurement. In addition to a review of the types of data and instruments, this section addresses issues related to managing data from volunteer stations.
4. How to complete a work plan for performance measurement. This section provides a step-by-step guide to completing the work plan for performance measurement and includes a sample work plan.

A number of appendices appear at the end of this toolkit, including a glossary of terms, a list of frequently asked questions (FAQ), examples of work plans to measure performance, and a list of additional resources.

This toolkit is intended to help orient you to the kind of thinking you will have to do to complete the Performance Measurement portion of your Senior Corps application. This toolkit is intended to provide you with helpful background information. However, relying on this information cannot guarantee an award, and this toolkit should not be referred to in your application.

Senior Corps Performance Measurement Toolkit (PDF)*

Senior Corps Blank Workplan (DOC)

Entering Your Work Plans into eGrants (DOC)

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