Training on Evidence-Informed/Evidence-Based CAA Practices and the
Organizational Performance Standards
Date & Time: Tuesday, August 6th from 10:00AM-3:00PM
Location: ICAA Office Building (Mickle Nonprofit Resource Center, 1620 Pleasant St. Des Moines, IA 50314)
Target Audience: Community Action Agency Executive Directors and Management Staff (Due to limited capacity,
a maximum of two people per agency can register. If seats open up we will let everyone know.)
Trainer: Denise Harlow, Community Action Partnership
Denise Harlow, MSW, CCAP is the Project Director for the National Risk Mitigation and
Quality Improvement Training and Technical Assistance Center and is a key staff member of
the Organizational Performance Standards Center of Excellence at the Community Action
Partnership. Ms. Harlow has more than 23 years of experience in the nonprofit and
governmental sectors, most recently serving as CEO for the NYS Community Action
Association. Ms. Harlow has experience in governance, strategic planning, financial
oversight, public policy/advocacy, and organizational development and has served on
several nonprofit boards of directors as well as being an appointee to the Governor’s Early Childhood Advisory
Council in New York State. She has a Masters Degree in Social Work from the University at Albany where she was
also a Fellow on Women and Public Policy at the Center for Women in Government and Civil Society, and holds a
Bachelor Degree in Social Work from Valparaiso University.
Training Description
10:00AM – 12:30PM - Evidence-based vs. Evidence-Informed, Practices vs. Programs, Promising vs. Field
Tested...where is a CAA to Start? Community Action is dedicated to moving families out of poverty and to
revitalizing communities and we do it with limited resources, in challenging environments, and using diverse
methods across a broad network of agencies. The pressure to do “what works” continues to grow and while we
often know our agencies are being successful, we lack the funds necessary to take on large scientific studies and
have limited capacity to track customers over the long term to demonstrate change. This session will explore the
varying definitions of the evidence terminology in use today and highlight how CAAs can generate evidence
within existing activities. We will also provide resources to help you identify service models that have
documented evidence to help you assess their value for your CAA. We will also review online resources including
the Self-Sufficiency Research Clearinghouse (SSRC), funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation. This tool is
designed to collect, catalogue and disseminate quality research and resources relevant to researchers and
professionals invested in the self-sufficiency of low-income families and individuals.
1:00PM – 3:00PM - Community Action Organizational Performance Standards-What can CAAs do now to get
ready? Organizational standards have been Community Action’s radar for several months now with Iowa playing a
leading role by participating in the pilots and the CSBG Working Group. This session will provide an opportunity
to hear about the current status of the project directly from project staff, a review of the final standards as
provided to OCS, and an overview of the implementation recommendations submitted. We will discuss
implementation challenges and address how CAAs can best prepare now for the eventual rollout. Tools and
resources that can assist CAAs to meet the Standards will be demonstrated and participants will be able to
provide information back to the Partnership on future tools and resources that may be of interest.
Training on Evidence-Informed/Evidence-Based CAA Practices and the
Organizational Performance Standards
Registration Form
No cost for the training other than lunch. ICAA will invoice your agency.
Please complete the registration form by July 16th and email to:
Zsanette Buchanan at zdbuchanan@iowacaa.com or mail to:
1620 Pleasant St. Suite 214 Des Moines, Iowa 50314
Name:
Agency:
Title:
Email Address: ________________________________________________
Telephone:
Special Dietary Requests: _______________________________________________________________________
Hotel Rooms are being held at the following locations under Iowa Community Action Association:
Holiday Inn Express at Drake University
1140 24th St
Des Moines, IA 50311
P (515) 255-4000
Reservations must be made by July 22nd
Fairfield Inn & Suites Des Moines Airport
6880 Fleur Drive,
Des Moines, Iowa 50321
Phone: 1-515-309-4444
Reservations must be made by July 23rd