Understanding the Needs of Children, Families and Communities:

A Data-based Approach to Grantmaking

Presented by Dr. Julie Pokela Market Street Research

jpokela@marketstreetresearch.com

What is marketing research?

Secondary research Background research Utilization research

Primary research In-depth interviews Focus groups Quantitative surveys

Why fund marketing research?

Maximize the impact of your grantmaking by: Improving decision-making Facilitating consensus-building Leveraging resources

Why fund marketing research?

Improving decision-making:

after-school programming

Model of after-school decision-making

Are parents interested in after-school programs?

Don't know5.4%

Trusted friend-relative25.7%

After-school program68.9%

Results of a survey of parents of elementary school students in Boston conducted for Boston After School and Beyond, August, 2006

“If you could choose between sending your child to an after-school program or having your child be with a trusted relative or family friend, which would you choose?”

How should after-school programs be structured?

24.5%

13.2%

5.5% 3.8%26.5%

4.8% 7.5%

34.5%35.8%

59.8%

23.5%26.4%

26.4%

5.4%

2.3%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Parents CBOs Students

Don't know

Stronglydisapprove

Somewhatdisapprove

Somewhatapprove

Stronglyapprove

Results of a survey of middle school students, parents, and CBOs in Washington D.C. conducted for CYITC, March, 2006

“The after-school program could be structured to extend the school day, so there would be more time for students to work on academic subjects. How do you feel about this idea?”

What are the major barriers to parti-cipating in after-school programs?

Respondent: “My daughters, they are not allowed to go nowhere anyway, that’s just the way it is. . . . Sorry, they ain’t going nowhere. . . . ‘You’re not going nowhere. You stay home until I get home from work,’ that’s just the rule now. Basically, I know what they are doing because they are home.”Moderator: “Are you worried about what your kids are doing after school?”Respondent: “Not too much. For the most part, they are always in the house. There are not a lot of after-school programs at the school they go to. There’s a lot of money invested in the computer and a lot of money on the shelf in Play Station. But if that’s what it takes to keep them in…”

Results of focus groups with middle school students and parents in Providence conducted for Rhode Island Kids Count, December, 2003.

“What’s important to you in terms of how your middle-school children spend their time?”

Perceptions of safety of new after-school programs

Less safe1.5%

About the same

27.2%Don't know

13.8%

Somewhat safer

21.0%Much safer

36.5%

Results of a survey of middle school students and parents conducted for PASA, March, 2006

“I’d like you to compare the after-school programs that are available through the AfterZone to those that were previously available. Based upon what you know or have heard, do you think the new AfterZone programs are:”

Why fund marketing research?

Facilitating consensus-building:

after-school programming

Facilitating consensus-building

“Data collection and analysis are essential to make the case for OST. Using data changed the discussion from ‘What is the problem?’ to ‘How are we going to address it?’ The data gave everyone a common frame of reference so we could focus our efforts on defining priorities and figuring out strategies for change.” Mary McCormick, Fund for the City of New York

Why fund marketing research?

Leveraging resources:

after-school programming

Leveraging resources

“I’m pleased about the fact that OST, through this initiative, is continuing to be something that is being looked at for expansion both locally and at the state-wide level. If and when the state legislature meets at a session in the next few years, and passes legislation that puts $40 million a year into after-school opportunities for kids across the state . . . we can look back on that and say [our research] was really a starting-out point to really pay some close attention to OST and figure out how we might get it done.” Mark Perry, New Futures for Youth. Little Rock, AR

How can grantees conduct research with children, youth, and families?

Market Street Research has developed a manual on how to conduct marketing research, with funding from The Wallace Foundation

The manual will be available in Fall, 2006 at:

www.marketstreetresearch.com and

www.wallacefoundation.org

What will be in the manual?

An overview of the marketing research process

Workbooks on conducting secondary research, utilization research, focus groups, in-depth interviews, telephone surveys, in-person interviews, and self-administered surveys; and on developing a communications plan

Prototype materials for each workbook