10 Proven Steps to Better Programs (and Outcomes Funders Expect)

Published Apr 24, 2017

Getting to Outcomes: 10 Proven Steps To Better Programs (and outcomes funders expect)

"GTO didn't just improve our outcomes, it also gave us a way to talk about every component of our service." -- Council on Drugs and Alcohol, Santa Barbara, California

  1. Focus: Choose which problem(s) to focus on.
  2. Target: Identify goals, target population, and desired outcomes.
  3. Adopt: Find existing programs and best practices worth adopting.
  4. Adapt: Modify the program or best practices to fit your needs.
  5. Resources: Assess capacity (staff, financing, etc.) to implement the program.
  6. Plan: Make a plan for getting started: who, what, when, where, and how.
  7. Monitor: Track planning and implementation. How did it go?
  8. Evaluate: Evaluate the program's success in achieving desired results.
  9. Improve: Make a plan for continuous quality improvement.
  10. Sustain: Consider how to keep the program going if it is successful.

Toolkits address

  • drug and alcohol prevention
  • teen pregnancy prevention
  • underage drinking prevention
  • home visiting
  • positive youth development
  • homelessness

Outstanding Publication Award! -- American Evaluation Association, 2008

A few examples of GTO practitioners

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  • Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
  • Office of Adolescent Health
  • National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans
  • Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disability Services
  • Over 60 Girls and Boys Clubs
  • And dozens of community organizations

200,000+: Number of downloaded GTO manuals on substance abuse prevention

The GTO toolkit has been proven to help community-based programs document measurable results. No other human services accountability framework can claim this.

  • Training: Build knowledge and skills
  • Technical Assistance: Personalized support for implementation
  • Toolkits: Provide guidance on key tasks

Getting to Outcomes(tm) is a results-oriented approach to running effective programs. It builds knowledge and skills among community practitioners, who can apply GTO to virtually any challenge, from drug prevention to homelessness, and clearly evaluate the results.

Learn how GTO can help you help your community

www.rand.org/gto

Contact Matt Chinman
Tel: (412) 683-2300 (extension 4287)
Matthew_Chinman@rand.org

Illustration: Si-Gal/GettyImages

CP793x1(V)

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10 Proven Steps to Better Programs (and Outcomes Funders Expect). Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2017. https://www.rand.org/pubs/corporate_pubs/CP793-1.html.
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Version Note

This publication supersedes a previous version published in 2015 (CP-793).