Aspen is a place for leaders to lift their sights above the possessions which possess them. To confront their own nature as human beings, to regain control over their own humanity by becoming more self-aware, more self-correcting, and hence more self-fulfilling.
Walter P. Paepcke, Aspen Institute Co-Founder
Aspen Institute
Blog Posts
Scorecards + Narratives + Analytics = …
November 18, 2011
Scorecards? Take a Number! The Millennium Challenge Corporation’s scorecards, which are used to evaluate a country’s eligibility for foreign assistance programs, have been recently updated with new selection criteria and methodology. Running the gamut from fiscal policy to girls’ primary education completion rate, the 20 indicators facilitate a comparison across potential recipient countries. But as with any such tool, it’s always good to check where the numbers come from.
Narrato-Logic Pekar Thaler has made a career of telling good stories and building narrative organizations along the way. Her recent article in On The Issues Magazine is a must-read for those using stories as part of their advocacy work. Narratives do matter—a whole lot—and knowing how to use them strategically to engage potential supporters can mean the difference between talk and action.
Don’t Forget the Tip We’re big fans of AEA365, the American Evaluation Association’s daily blog for tips on all things evaluation. Heck, we even contributed an entry way back when. Last week, website maven Ariana Johnson wrote on how to use website analytics. Google Analytics may be a super cool and completely free resource, but advocates still need to pause, ask the right questions and interpret the data in a way that makes the most sense and adds the most meaning.
