Aligning Limited Resources to Maximize Impact on Teen Audiences at The Contemporary Austin
Client: The Contemporary Austin | Location: Austin, TX
We worked with The Contemporary Austin’s education department to build their capacity to maximize impact for teen audiences while minimizing required resources.
OVERVIEW
Our work included three distinct but interrelated phases:
The development of an impact statement and measurable outcomes for teen audiences across multiple staff and stakeholders, including teens themselves
An evaluation plan implemented by teen program staff, with our mentorship, and
Alignment exercises that led to a strategic plan for teen audiences
APPROACH
Our original capacity building project consisted of a series of workshops and implementing a comprehensive evaluation plan. Through this work, we facilitated exercises with the museum’s staff to help them develop a shared vision for impact and measurable outcomes for school programs and exhibits. This process involved:
Training museum staff in best practices in conducting evaluation;
Coached them through the evaluation of three programs; and finally,
Leading a session to help staff reflect on the evaluation results and capacity building process
Today, we continue to serve the museum as an ad hoc advisor and evaluation partner.
CLIENT TAKEAWAYS
Through our work together, the Contemporary Austin’s education department staff realized the value of clearly articulating the impact they want to achieve through their teen programs. Even though individual staff members each had their own ideas about outcomes, clarifying their thoughts through group discussion was an invaluable process.
With a clear vision for impact, evaluation results, and a strategic plan, they were able to make difficult decisions about what elements of teen programming to keep and what to let go due to budget cuts.
