Hello friends! We are Chelsea Ruder, Kim Leonard, and Madeline Brandt, and together we are evaluating the Collective Impact Health Specialist program in the Columbia Gorge, located along the Oregon-Washington border. This program supports community-directed, collaborative projects to improve community health. We are using Ripple Effects Mapping (REM) to understand the intricacies of this work and its impacts after nearly a decade of collective effort.
We chose REM because it reflects the program’s values. Like the program, REM centers participants’ voices and perspectives: participants determine which impacts matter, and what those impacts mean. REM is a highly accessible tool for evaluators, nonprofits, and foundations who are seeking to measure complex, long-term efforts, and want to understand changes beyond immediate outputs or short-term outcomes. REM fosters a collaborative environment where participants engage in reflective dialogue, uncovering the intricate pathways of change and shedding light on the broader context of impact.
Lessons Learned
REM is a relatively flexible method. Though REM is typically designed to be completed in a single session, we are holding multiple sessions in a single region. This sustained engagement allows us to delve deeper into community dynamics and complexities, providing a more comprehensive understanding of impact. It also means that each session has its own “flavor,” determined by who is at each session.
REM amplifies diverse perspectives and supports collaboration. REM helps organizations and individuals understand their work within complex contexts, long histories, and systems change initiatives. We’re working with participants who have a long-standing history of working together, working in diverse organizations with overlapping but distinct goals. REM’s recognition of interconnectedness can serve as a powerful motivator for continued collaboration and collective impact efforts.
REM highlights how individual actions feed into systemic change. Through REM, participants can see how seemingly small actions can have far-reaching impacts in their community. REM encourages participants to recognize how they are driving systemic change, reinforcing the notion that every contribution, no matter how small, plays a vital role in shaping the health and well-being of a community.
REM serves as a bridge between data and storytelling. REM creates a holistic understanding of impacts. Through visual mapping and storytelling, REM reveals the human stories behind statistics, demonstrating how even incremental changes can make a huge difference in individual lives. Integrating quantitative and qualitative components enriches the inquiry process and empowers participants to communicate their perspectives, experiences and insights.
The process can help build participants’ comfort and skill with REM. Rather than “administering” REM, we consider these sessions opportunities to work alongside our client and participants, modeling how REM works so participants can effectively convey stories of impact within their organizations and larger community. At the end, participants will know how to use REM to explore and talk about their own work and impacts.
REM is celebratory. REM is an opportunity to take a step back, reflect, and celebrate the hard work that so many people and organizations are putting in to make positive changes in their community. Our planning meetings and REM pilot session have been full of joy!
Rad Resources
We have benefited from the wisdom of evaluators familiar with REM, and encourage others to do the same. We are especially grateful to the team at Public Profit team for sharing their knowledge and experiences with us. That’s one ripple effect of their Ripple Effects Mapping!
We’re looking forward to the fall and the Evaluation 2024 conference with our colleagues in the Local Arrangements Working Group (LAWG). Do you have questions, concerns, kudos, or content to extend this AEA365 contribution? Please add them in the comments section for this post on the AEA365 webpage so that we may enrich our community of practice. Would you like to contribute to AEA365? Review the contribution guidelines and send your draft post to AEA365@eval.org. The views and opinions expressed on the AEA365 blog are solely those of the original authors and other contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of the American Evaluation Association, and/or any/all contributors to this site.