Northeast SARE
Outcome Funding and
Grant Writing Workshop
Tom Morris & Janet McAllister
Delaware State University
May 25, 2011
nesare.org
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MILESTONES
The critical steps in learning and skill development
that beneficiaries must achieve as they prepare to
make the specific change (or take the action)
described in the performance target.
Not what YOU do -- what THEY do
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Milestones
Beneficiary milestones include steps such as:
• Learning necessary content
• Building essential skills to make change in
performance target
• Agreeing the problem is a legitimate problem
• Believing in the credibility of the proposed
solutions
• Acquiring the intentions and motivation to
overcome barriers and make the desired change.
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THE OUTCOME FRAMEWORK
MILESTONE 1
200 complete online survey
MILESTONE 2
150 attend workshops; learn
A, B, C
MILESTONE 3
125 attend field demo; learn and
practice A, B, C
MILESTONE 4
100 consult with PIs about
implementing A, B, C
TARGET
80 do A, B, C
MILESTONE 1
MILESTONE 2
MILESTONE 3
MILESTONE 4
PERFORMANCE TARGET
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Milestones
• Should reflect the educational topics and
research goals described in the project
approach subsection in the narrative
• Link the learning and skill development to the
project activities and educational delivery
methods described in the project approach
• Chart a timeline for when and where the
learning occurs
• Establish participation goals for the project.
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Writing Milestones in Proposals
Milestones include 4 components:
1. The number of beneficiaries (farmers or ag
service providers) who will participate;
2. The educational experiences the beneficiaries
participate in to learn;
3. The key, specific content that beneficiaries will
learn, build skills for, and develop attitudes and
intentions about;
4. The schedule or timeline for the learning*
*timeline not required for preproposals
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1. 1000 vegetable farmers learn about cover crop education
program and receive online survey about their current
practices. (Nov ’12)
2. 200 vegetable farmers return survey; 180 agree to
participate in education program; 20 agree to host onfarm demonstrations (Feb ’13)
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3. 160 of these farmers attend two 3-hour workshops in each state
that explain: Performance Target and known benefits of cover
crops (Jan ’13 - March ’13)
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4. 150 of the farmers attend field day at university
about new/existing cover crops; 20 farmers plant onfarm demonstration trials (Sept ‘13)
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5. 100 farmers submit cover crop plans for their farms to project
team for review (Nov – March ’13)
6. 60 of the 100 farmers attend on-farm demonstration events
at farm sites and consult with project team by phone, e-mail,
blog and with other farmers on blog about planting cover crops
(May - Sept ‘14)
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Performance Target: 90 vegetable farmers adopt legume and nonlegume cover crops and/or improved cover crop management practic
on a total of 900 acres reducing historical N applications by 50
lb/acre/year without reducing yields.
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Milestones R&E
Milestones Written as a List
1. 1000 vegetable farmers learn about cover crop education
program and receive online survey about their current
practices. (Nov ‘12)
2. 200 vegetable farmers return survey; 180 agree to
participate in education program; 20 agree to host on-farm
demonstrations (Feb ‘13)
3. 160 of these farmers attend two 3-hour workshops in each
state that explain: Performance Target and known benefits of
cover crops (Jan ’13 - March ‘13)
4. 150 of the farmers attend field day at university and learn
about new/existing cover crops; 20 farmers plant on-farm
demonstration trials (Sept ‘13)
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Milestones (cont)
5. 100 farmers submit cover crop plans for their farms to project
team for review (Nov – March ‘13)
6. 60 of the 100 farmers attend on-farm demonstration events
at farm sites and consult with project team by phone, e-mail,
blog and with other farmers on blog about planting cover crops
(May - Sept ‘14)
Performance Target: 90 vegetable farmers adopt legume and
non-legume cover crops and/or improved cover crop
management practices on a total of 900 acres reducing historical
N applications by 50 lb/acre/year without reducing yields.
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Milestones PDP
1. 50 agricultural service providers that work with dairy farms
in PA and NY receive background information and
references to prepare for their participation in this
professional development training on cover cropping
systems for corn silage production (Nov ‘12)
2. 20 ag service providers attend two 3-hour workshops in
each state that explain: Performance Target, known benefits
of cover crops, ongoing cover crop research, cover crop
planning and decision tools; all join the cover crop
education team (Jan ’13 - March ’13).
3. 15 of these ag service providers attend field demonstrations
and learn how to evaluate overwintered cover crops and
techniques for killing cover crops (April – May ’13)
4. 15 of the ag service providers attend field demonstrations
about fall cover crop planting techniques. (Sept ’13)
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Milestones PDP
5. 14 of the ag service providers attend a workshop to learn
how to establish on-farm demonstrations to teach farmers
about cover crops on dairy farms; All receive PowerPoint
shows, short videos, updated decision tool, and fact sheets
(Dec ‘13)
6. 12 of the ag service providers consult with cover crop team
by e-mail, phone and blog as they develop and teach
farmers about cover crops (Jan – March ’14)
Performance target: 12 agricultural service providers develop
and conduct an education program where 250 dairy farmers
who cultivate 18,000 acres of corn for silage learn about
techniques, benefits, and challenges of planting cover crops in
fields harvested for corn silage.
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Preparing to Write Milestones
Before you can write Milestones for your project,
you must have clear answers to these questions:
• What do farmers need to know (knowledge) to
accomplish the performance target?
• What must farmers be able to do (skills) to accomplish
the performance target?
• What must farmers believe about the problem and
solution (attitudes) to accomplish the performance target?
You must define these answers if you are to prepare
beneficiaries to make the change you INTEND
Practice Time – Define Learning & Skill Needs
Using the Performance Target you
wrote in the earlier practice
session, write lists that complete
the phrases below:
1. To make the change described in the
performance target, farmers must KNOW:
2. To make the change described in the
performance target, farmers must be
ABLE TO DO:
Verification
Milestones and performance targets must be verified to show the
progress and benefits of SARE-funded projects
Verification of milestones documents:
• How well beneficiaries are progressing in their
knowledge and preparation to make the change
described in the performance target
• Whether adjustments are needed to keep project on
track
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Verification
Verification of the Performance Target means
asking questions and collecting data after all
Milestones are complete to measure:
• The changes made by beneficiaries
• The degree or extent of these changes
• The benefits that resulted.
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Verification
• Planned from the beginning
• Discussed with beneficiaries at start of project
• Requires tracking beneficiaries – who they
are; so need to collect contact information at
start
• Done throughout project for milestones
• Completed after project activities (allow time
for behavior change to occur) for Performance
Target
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Success With Verification
• Tell the beneficiaries about the target and
verification process -- at start of project
• Create a relationship with beneficiaries
• Collect any information needed as you go
• Develop effective verification tools
• Be persistent in engaging beneficiaries
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Example Verification Question for
Milestone
Listed below are topics presented at today’s event. On the left, please
circle your level of knowledge/skill of each topic before today’s
educational event. On the right, circle your level of knowledge now,
after today’s event.
Knowledge BEFORE
Topic
Knowledge AFTER
Non
Existent
Minimal Moderate
Considerable
Topic A
Non
Existent
Minimal Moderate
Considerable
Non
Existent
Minimal Moderate
Considerable
Topic B, etc.
Non
Existent
Minimal Moderate
Considerable
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Example Verification Question for
Performance Target
Listed below are Cover Crop species demonstrated and
recommended through this project. Please complete the best
response for each recommendation.
Cover Crop
Species
Did you
plant?
Did you
plant?
If Yes:
If Yes:
On how
With what market
many acres? crop?
Species A
____No
____Yes
__________
_________________
Species B
____No
____Yes
__________
_________________
Species Mix C
____No
____Yes
__________
_________________
Etc.
____No
____Yes
__________
_________________
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Practice Time – Write Questions to Verify
Milestones and Performance Targets
Using the Performance Target you
wrote in the earlier practice session,
and the lists of necessary Knowledge
and Skills for Milestones:
1. Write one questions that could be used to
verify beneficiaries’ knowledge and skill
milestones after a project event
2. Write one question that could be used, at the
completion of the project, to verify whether
farmers made the change described in the
performance target.
Verification Resources
Example milestones, performance targets and
example questions to verify them at
http://nesare.org/resources/verificationtools.html
Webinars, tipsheets, examples and more at
http://extension.psu.edu/evaluation/
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Key Individuals
• The ‘leadership team’
• Contribute a key component to the
project
• Provide letters of commitment
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Questions?
www.nesare.org
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