Most of LISC’s technical assistance work is behind scenes, often unseen but generates ripple effects of impact ensuring our programs and partnerships are successful in serving our communities, partners, and residents effectively.
This year, LISC Houston and United Way of Greater Houston (UWGH) embarked on a large-scale data alignment and reporting project of each of our data guidelines and definitions for our shared service providers. Often times, funders like UWGH and capacity building organizations like LISC, require partners to report on various metrics. And while we may be asking for the same thing, we may ask for it in two different systems using different terms and different deadlines, causing an undue burden for our service providers.
This has been a topic of conversation and pain point for years for LISC’s Financial Opportunity Center (FOC) service providers. We decided this year was going to be the year we created a solution! We started our initial conversation with our FOCs, LISC National, and UWGH in November 2022 and celebrated our success in completing the project in April 2023. Our story culminated into LISC Houston and UWGH sharing our journey, methodology and approach, and best practices in a joint session at Texas Evaluation Networks’ 2023 Institue in August 2023.
How We Made It Happen
For this alignment project, we focused on our economic development work, specifically family financial stability and wealth building through LISC Houston’s four FOC partners.
The FOC network uses the Family Financial Tracking (FFT) reporting template to show outcomes and success. Each area of coaching – employment, financial, and income supports – is reflected in the FFT by data entry into Salesforce. The FFT shows collective impact; improves program performance; and helps identify trends in coaching services. The metrics we use are specific to LISC and cover all three core areas, plus digital literacy and demographics. Houston’s FOC network collectively serves thousands of clients each year.
United Way uses their Second Century Vision reporting template, a document that has many of the same categories as LISC’s FFT but additional or different metrics as well. The good thing was that our roles with partners were similar, even if the visual reporting was different, and that we were collecting a lot of the same data. So, we had two networks, two very different reporting metrics with different parameters, layouts/data entry and measures of outcome/output, but the same overall goal – family financial stability, wealth building and employment! Furthermore, there were metrics that were being requested on both sides but that had different ranges or categories, necessitating thought and care in inputting numbers, beyond just duplicating from one report to the other. For example, one pain point was that since our systems didn’t “talk”, partners had to manually transfer data between report systems (in 2023? Really?!).
It was important to include our partners’ valuable perspective, input and buy-in for refinements and updates, to make sure the alignment was going smoothly, and to hear self-reflection which led to even greater clarification. We had to ensure that the partners were able and willing to accommodate proposed changes and that it would, in fact, make their lives easier. We planned check ins and offered plenty of support and opportunities to debrief and ask questions. Check-ins also helped work through pain points, both in the current way and the alignment work. Issues such as manual data entry would not necessarily have come to the fore without partner input. The first touch point with partners was a review for input and feedback on the current system. We started by comparing the two different systems and definitions to figure out commonalities and differences, and opportunities to streamline. This was important to us, because we had to ensure that the partners were able and willing to accommodate these changes and that it would, in fact, make their lives easier. If they do not align, what is different? (metric, scope, etc)? Are there any fields that are superfluous or do not need to match up?
Another touch point with partners was during adoption of the new process, which included follow-up and follow-through on application of the new system. Having a definitive start (e.g. Q1 reporting) helped ensure a smooth transition. Gained their perspective along the way for even more refinements (how they interpret the FFT line items compared to how we incorporated into crosswalk) – even greater clarification.
Also, there were multiple fields that needed to be reconciled, whether that was adopting one metric over the other, or finding a third metric that covered both, or deciding not to collect that outcome (in a few cases). A crosswalk was necessary! Why crosswalk? We were using two different systems and definitions, had to figure out commonalities, where alignment already occurred, where there were mismatches, what was not matching and what was.
We considered the “5 Ws” in aligning definitions and metrics – Who are they serving? What is different? What is superfluous or does not need to match? When do partners enter data? Where do definitions align? Why is this going to make a difference, anyway? Where do data definitions align? The goal was to identify the data definitions that are identical and have same meaning.
"This is cool – let's use it!"
Adoption including follow-up and follow through on application - current state for reporting, as well as self-reflection and several opportunities to provide input via email, an online form, and verbally.
This project started in November 2022 with defining the issue; in March 2023 we finalized our combined metrics. In April 2023 we met with our four mutual partners to discuss and get feedback and buy-in.
Obstacles such as LISC’s reporting system undergoing maintenance for several months, and such different reporting systems, along with needing to tend to our day-to-day work did not cause delays; improved meeting technology (one of the very few upsides of the pandemic!) and staff willing to jump in and find solutions allowed us to reconcile and align the reports within six months, thanks to assistance from LISC National and diligence from all involved.
For more information, contact Ellary Makuch, emakuch@lisc.org