Shaheer Mustafa and Amy Schneider and the other members of HopeWell's Executive Leadership Team shared exhausted smiles as they finished their last meeting to hone HopeWell's new theory of change and organizationlevel logic model. After reflecting on what they had learned at the last meeting, they turned to the challenging task at hand, which was taking one more look before presenting the documents to their board of Directors on Tuesday. Approval by HopeWell's board would be an important affirmation of their efforts to dramatically reinvent the organization and position it for the future. But, their thoughts also turned to HopeWell's 140 staff members and the individuals and families engaged in their programs. Would they be able to secure broad agreement? Would it effectively guide day-to-day actions? And how could they most effectively engage these important stakeholders around the new vision? HopeWell Background HopeWell was a social justice and learning organization that has grown to engage 1,000 youth and individuals annually through a variety of critical programs. In addition to foster care, HopeWell provides in-home support and stabilization services to families involved with the state Department all of HopeWell's programs were funded.) While it was clear that the new program filled a critical gap facing the youth that HopeWell supported, announcing a program without initial financial guarantees was a radical step for an organization that was accustomed to following the lead of Itr funders. Mustafi raised donor funds to support the program initially and once the concept was solidified, it was awarded a state contract. The visible introduction of a new program, with outside partners and a different financial model was a wake-up call for the entire organization, clearly demonstrating that innovation, person-centered programming and different financial models would be central going forward. A New Theory of Change and Logic Model Mustafa believed that learning and measurement would play a critical role moving forward: When / started at Hopewell in September of 2016 , one thing that was critically important was being able to capture the impact that we were havins on the individuals that we were serving. We were certainly having impact - that was wery apparent-but fust knowing that in a gut sense way ir insufficient and we really wanted to be able to know and captune our impact. That was the beginning of our journcy. their eight sites to reach out to the staff. They asked questions about how to deepen their impact, what new opportunities should be considered, and what resources would be required. This was an important step for engaging the staft, hearing their ideas, and honing HopeWell's direction. A few months later, they used a similar process to develop agency values and vision and initial input for the organizational logic model. Then, starting in 2019, partnering with Brandeis University Heller School's Center for Youth and Communities,.

1. Shaheer Mustafa and Amy Schneider and the other members of HopeWell's Executive
Leadership Team shared exhausted smiles as they finished their last meeting to hone HopeWell's
new theory of change and organizationlevel logic model. After reflecting on what they had
learned at the last meeting, they turned to the challenging task at hand, which was taking one
more look before presenting the documents to their board of Directors on Tuesday. Approval by
HopeWell's board would be an important affirmation of their efforts to dramatically reinvent the
organization and position it for the future. But, their thoughts also turned to HopeWell's 140 staff
members and the individuals and families engaged in their programs. Would they be able to
secure broad agreement? Would it effectively guide day-to-day actions? And how could they
most effectively engage these important stakeholders around the new vision? HopeWell
Background HopeWell was a social justice and learning organization that has grown to engage
1,000 youth and individuals annually through a variety of critical programs. In addition to foster
care, HopeWell provides in-home support and stabilization services to families involved with the
state Department
all of HopeWell's programs were funded.) While it was clear that the new program filled a
critical gap facing the youth that HopeWell supported, announcing a program without initial
financial guarantees was a radical step for an organization that was accustomed to following the
lead of Itr funders. Mustafi raised donor funds to support the program initially and once the
concept was solidified, it was awarded a state contract. The visible introduction of a new
program, with outside partners and a different financial model was a wake-up call for the entire
organization, clearly demonstrating that innovation, person-centered programming and different
financial models would be central going forward. A New Theory of Change and Logic Model
Mustafa believed that learning and measurement would play a critical role moving forward:
When / started at Hopewell in September of 2016 , one thing that was critically important was
being able to capture the impact that we were havins on the individuals that we were serving. We
were certainly having impact - that was wery apparent-but fust knowing that in a gut sense way
ir insufficient and we really wanted to be able to know and captune our impact. That was the

2. beginning of our journcy. their eight sites to reach out to the staff. They asked questions about
how to deepen their impact, what new opportunities should be considered, and what resources
would be required. This was an important step for engaging the staft, hearing their ideas, and
honing HopeWell's direction. A few months later, they used a similar process to develop agency
values and vision and initial input for the organizational logic model. Then, starting in 2019,
partnering with Brandeis University Heller School's Center for Youth and Communities, the
leadership team started work on a theory of change. This one-page document which depicted an
overarching vision that started with the challenge and ended with the larger vision of what they
hoped clients could achieve. An accompanying organizationallevel logic model that would
describe the approach in more detail and demonstrate the link between HopeWell's actions and
their impact. Developing both required an intensive effort from HopeWell's leadership team, as
well as extensive staff input. They had lengthy discussion about the theory's underpinnings and
how exactly they would meet their mission. The team exhaustively examined and clarified each
part of the model, including the meaning of terms like equity, opportunity, and innovation to
bring crispness and clarity to their ideas.
ourselves to be better. We are bere for those that we serve and do the best work that we can, and
this is a way to bold curselves accountable to that" ( 5 . Mustafa, personal interview, fuly
17,2020). Looking to the Future With the first part of the process behind them, Mustafa and
Schneider turned their discussion to how to make sure that their investment in reimagining
HopeWell would earn the support of field staff. They debated the best way to introduce the
organization-level model to all staff and in particular the 70 percent of the staff that provided
direct care in the field. They also wondered how quickly to move to program level-logic models,
should they give the organization-level model a chance to be socialized, or take advantage of the
momentum they had created and begin the process immediately? Finally, they considered how to
mearure progress towands achievement now that they had specific outcomes in place. They
wanted to make sure they had objective measures of progress but wete wary of imposing
additional burdens on their hardworking field ataff. With these questions top of mind, and
realizing that their work wat just beginning, they took a deep breathand took out their phones to
schedule another meeting. Discussion Questions 1. What advice would you give Mustafi and
Schneider as they toll their process out organization-wide? Do yot expect any resistance? 2.
What do you think of their decision to create programilevel logic models? How should they
balance their deitre for staff alignment with the additional work it will creste? 3. Who else should
be involved in creating the program-level models? How should this be done? 4. A well-thought-
through theory of change/logic model can provide clear guidance to staff. Is there a risk that this
will stifle program-level innovation? How should the leadership team guard against this? 5.

3. Schneider and Mustafa seek to be a model for the sector to extend HopeWelrs impact. What do
you see as the best ways to accomplish this? NOTES 1. Collins, J. (2001). Good to great,
Random House Business Books. 5ee also for a summary https///wwwjimcollint.com/concepts/the
flywheel html. 2. Coryn, C. L. S., Noakes, L. A, Westine, C. D., A schroter D. C. (2011). A
systematic review of theory-driven evaluation practice from 1990 to 2009. American foumal of
Evaluation, 32(2), 199-226. 3. Higeins, M, Meis, n, Wiendec, h, & Robison, W. (2011).
Creating a corps of change agents teach for America alumini project. Education Next. Rettieved
of Children and Families (DCD), supports wouth aging out of foster care by providing stable
housine education and employment support, as well as peoviding zeridential care for adulta with
intellectual and developmental cisabilities. HopeWelir work is funded ptimarily via atate
contracts, bit if also teceives funding from corporate and individual donors. HopeWelis toots go
back to 1964 when founder Gerry Wright saw an urgent need for an alternative to court involved
teens being warehoued in juvenile detention centers, Determined to find a better, more humane
alternative, Wright launched the itater fint conmunity-based residential program for boys. This
ploneering program evolved and by the 1970 s hod grown significantly and become a rtate leader
in providing intensive foster care iervices to childten and teens with a history of serious
challenges and family trasums In 2016, the Bloard hired Murtafa, an entrepreneurial new leader
with an imbitiou vistion for what HopeWell could become. He saw an opportunity to leverage
his background as a rocial worker, former director of a large child protection agency, and
experience tuming around rexidential programs ierving youth in high-risk situatlons. He soon
recruited Amy Schneider as Vice President of Programs, whe contributed rignificant
management and leadership experience and over a decade of experience in direct vervice
supporting youth learning and development. Other key hites within the first year incladed a Vice
President of Human Fesourcei and a new Vice President of Advancement. Shaking the Box After
six months of "eareful listening" Mustafa decided to make substantial changes. With his new
leadership team, he also brought a new, entrepreneurial philosophy to an organization that had
experienced little change over the past decades. Believing that experimentation and iteration is
the recipe for making substantial change, he immediately set out to solve a pressing problem.
Children who have been in foster care face severe challenges when they "age out" of foster care
at the age of 18 . Within a year of lexving when they became ineligible for services, 40%
experience homelessness. Over the course of a few months, he and the team launched a new
housingfirst initiative called My Fisst Place , in partnership with a Californiabased provider that
had honed the model in multiple settings. The program involved renting apartments scattered
throughout the community and hiringeducation and employment specialists to provide specific
transitional services. When My First Place was concelved, HopeWell had not secured state

4. contracts to finance if. (Preexisting contracts were the primary way that
intense dedication will be to engage them in bringing the logic model to Translating HopeWell's
Theory of Change in to Action Unlike a more graphic theory of change, HopeWellr draft
organizational logic model followed a tabular format. It started with an articulation of collective
beliefs: a set of 15 statements that included outward-facing asrumptions (for example, "Haying a
safe place to call home is a stabilizing factor that enables individuals and families to focus on
their lives, education and employment goals, build community, and establith a foundation for
long-term success."), and internal assumptions (for example, "Staff who feel respected,
supported, and have opportunities for leadership experiences and advancement will be valuable
co-creators of HopeWells culture of inclusion and learning and practice excellence 2. Based on
these beliefs, the next section was a series of organizational strategies in four categorien:
individuals and families, categivers, staff, and HopeWell (organization). From these, long-term
outcomes (ruch as rafety, stability, and connection or physical and emotional health) were
developed which led to "the promise" of their ultimate impact: well-being, self-actualization, and
equity and opportunity. Flowing from beliefs to atrategies to outcomes enabled the reader to
underatand the link between what HopeWell does and what it plans to achieve. The process also
included developing short-term outcomes and measures. Mustafa and schneider believed that the
best way to reinforce the ataffr life. They also saw an opportunity to include representatives of
individuals participating in their programs. In an unusual move, the team decided to have all
parts of the organization-including internal services like finance and human resources-develop a
series of more specific logic models that would cascade from the organization level logic model
to provide a clear road map for each program and service. Creating these program- and
departmentlevel logie models wouldn't be easy but would ensure that the entire organization was
aligned. schneider noted: Relationships at HopeWell are central. How we treat our staff and how
ensaged and cultivated they feel is critical. Staff need to feel our values in real-time and feel
volued and appreciated in how they do their work. We need to have trust and true collaboration if
we want to be the kind of leaming organitation we aspire to be. U. Scherider, ptronal intervirw,
fubly 17,2020) Ulimately, the nested set of documents would provide a critical road map that
they hope would enable HopeWell to achieve iti vision. According to Mustafa, "this is a critical
milestone for our organization and a chance to indicate our seriousness, our commitment and
willingness to challenge