Introduction
The theory of change is closely related to the organization’s vision of success. “Last Chance for Man’s Best Friends” aims at meeting the problems of unwanted old dogs that require care and of people staying at nursing homes.
The mission of the nonprofit is to make the world in which we live a better place by bringing together unwanted dogs and people lacking emotional support in order to make both of these groups happier and encourage them to enjoy their lives. The vision statement of the nonprofit project is a world of happy people and dogs that have found support in each other after having been neglected by their close people or not receiving sufficient emotional support. The theory of change presented in the paper will include the discussion of inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes, and the impact.
Inputs
Inputs are the resources that will be committed to the project to produce the expected outputs (Worth 152). “Last Chance for Man’s Best Friends” will require such inputs as time, money, staff, facilities, and expertise. The time needed to launch the project is about three months. During this time, we expect to accumulate the necessary funding and gather a team of people who will work to achieve the aims. The staff will include the board, the CEO, the paid employees who will work in the dogs’ home and drive them to nursing homes, and volunteers who will perform various duties related to the organization’s mission.
The necessary facilities are office space and the building that could be converted into a dogs’ house. Also, transportation facilities are important both for visiting nursing homes and shelters and for taking the dogs to nursing homes once the project is launched. Expertise is required to arrange the work in an efficient way, and it is expected that the CEO will be the source of this input aspect.
Outputs
Outputs are the direct products of the project’s activities (Worth 153). The clarity of the nonprofit’s productivity is crucial due to several reasons. First of all, sponsors will be able to evaluate whether their money was spent wisely and effectively. Secondly, the project’s leader and the board will be able to inspect their challenges and improve their work if they notice considerable drawbacks.
Therefore, “Last Chance for Man’s Best Friends” defines the number of dogs saved and the number of nursing homes visited as the outputs. In a one-year period, we expect to save the lives of at least 150 dogs by keeping them at our organization or arranging for them to stay with other shelters. This might seem like a small number compared to 164 dogs euthanized in July of 2018 in New York City (Animal Care Centers of NYC). However, this is only the initial plan, and we hope to expand our activity over the next years if the first one proves to be productive.
The second output is the number of nursing homes with which the organization aims to cooperate. Currently, “Last Chance for Man’s Best Friends” plans to engage in close collaboration with five nursing homes situated in NYC. According to statistics, there are over 600 such facilities in the city (Dennison 3). Five nursing homes may seem like a small number, but if the project is successful, we will increase the quantity in the second year.
Outcomes
Outcomes are the socially significant changes that the program will serve (Worth 152). These changes will perform the function of accountability factors and will be measured at the end of the year. The anticipated outcomes of the project include the decrease in the number of euthanized dogs, the increase in the social and emotional well-being of elderly people staying at nursing homes, and the considerable rise in the public’s awareness of the social issues that are at the core of the project’s mission.
To reach the expected outcomes, the organization will hire a CEO and find competent employees, as well as volunteers who will help to arrange the work of the nonprofit. The outcome related to the public’s awareness of social issues will be promoted through the engagement with social platforms, which will enable the promotion of the project.
The measurement of the outcomes will be performed in three ways. Firstly, the rates of the dogs that have been saved from euthanasia will be assessed. Secondly, patients staying in nursing homes will be requested to complete a questionnaire aimed at evaluating changes in their emotional state. Thirdly, nurses will share their impressions of how the project assists their patients. Next, the activity of the social platform’s users will be evaluated. Finally, the demand for services will be regarded as a crucial positive outcome.
Impact
This aspect of the theory of change involves the effect that the nonprofit hopes to produce on the public. The problem of insufficient emotional support of elderly people staying at nursing homes is rather acute. No less important is the issue of killing dogs that have become no longer wanted by their owners. Therefore, “Last Chance for Man’s Best Friends” decided to combine these two problems and manage them collectively.
The intended impact on the public is increasing the awareness of serious social issues and encouraging people to promote humane social behavior. In the long run, we hope that citizens will stop throwing their dogs out in the streets and will not have them euthanized unless the animals are untreatable or unmanageable. However, the expected short-term effect is the increased awareness of citizens of the two problems outlined.
There are many social issues in New York that demand immediate solutions. However, elderly people and animals are some of the least protected populations that cannot manage their problems without help from aside. “Last Chance for Man’s Best Friends” intends to become the source of power with the help of which these two population groups will feel support and relief. Through the inclusion of social platforms, the project is expected to raise the public’s interest and, most importantly, support.
Conclusion
The theory of change aimed at identifying the key inputs, outputs, outcomes, and the impact of the nonprofit “Last Chance for Man’s Best Friends.” The main inputs delineated were time, staff, money, facilities, and expertise. Outputs described in the paper included the number of dogs that were expected to be saved over a year and the number of nursing homes with which the nonprofit would collaborate. Outcomes were concerned with the changes that the program aimed to make. The major alterations outlined were the increase in the emotional well-being of elderly people and the decrease in dogs’ euthanasia. Finally, the impact included the effects that the nonprofit anticipated to produce on the public.
Works Cited
Animal Care Centers of NYC. Asilomar Report. 2018. Web.
Dennison, Thomas H. New York’s Nursing Homes: Shifting Roles and New Challenges. 2013. Web.
Libby, Pat, and Laura Dietrick. Cases in Nonprofit Management: A Hands-On Approach to Problem Solving. SAGE Publications, 2017.
Worth, Michael J. Nonprofit Management Principles and Practice (4th ed). SAGE Publications, 2017.