CASE STUDY
Proving Program Impact to Increase Funding
CrossPurpose used IRIS to measure their Leaders' growth before and after the 6-week Personal Development portion of their Career & Community Development Program.
Background
Approach
Results
CrossPurpose, a non-profit organization, provides a 6-month Career & Community Development Program. The program systemically reduces poverty, not just throws a band aid on it. In Northeast Denver, where CrossPurpose is located, nearly 27% of the residents live below the poverty line. The goal of the development program is to fix the broken system and, “rebuild the societal base surrounding our neighbors, creating more integrated communities and developing pathways out of poverty through meaningful careers.” The Career and Community Development Program was created to build sustainable independence for impoverished adult students, known as “Leaders.” After a Social Return on Investment analysis (or SROI, as detailed in the graphic below) was conducted, CrossPurpose found a $7 return on every $1 investment in the program, almost matching that of the GI Bill. At the program level, The IRIS Survey is used to understand a Leader’s standing before the program, identify development needs and measure growth over time. IRIS’s classroom-based soft skills curriculum is delivered to help students learn and practice the critical skills needed for success in career and life.
When a new Leader starts the 6-week Professional Development portion of the 6-month CrossPurpose Career & Community Development Program, the Leader takes The IRIS Survey to measure their starting skills base. The survey is then administered at the end of the 6-week course to capture results on the leader’s growth.
The Personal Development course focused on developing IRIS’s 8 Imperatives as well as the 20 attributes of the IRIS Readiness Target. The Imperatives are the foundational skills that are necessary to build higher-order skills and include: Emotional Self-Awareness, Resiliency, Self-Alignment, Self-Assessment, Self-Blame, Self-Confidence, Self-Restraint and Stress Tolerance. The Readiness Target is comprised of 20 critical attributes that contribute to an individual’s ability to successfully achieve college and career readiness.
In Year 1, 91% of the Leaders who completed The IRIS Survey before and after the Personal Development section showed statistically significant growth in one or more of the 8 imperative attributes. In Year 2, 100% of the Leaders showed statistically relevant growth in these areas.
By diving into individual Leaders’ scores, CrossPurpose has data points to accompany individual Leaders' success stories. For example, in Year 1, one Leader had significant growth in Independence (31 to 51 in 6 weeks) which is defined as, “The drive to act with self-direction and determination, apart from the values, opinions, expectations or influence of others.” One Leader, in Year 2, grew from a 42 to a 70 in Accountability, which is “To take responsibility for outcomes through the appropriate use of resources, personal integrity and self-monitoring.”
Comparing The IRIS Survey results from Year 1 and Year 2 proved that CrossPurpose’s 6-week program model was consistently impactful. Aggregate group data shows consistent growth toward the Readiness Target of 5.48% for students in the program in both Year 1 and Year 2.
As of 2019, 227 Leaders have been raised out of poverty through CrossPurpose’s program, and the 6-week Personal Development program continues to see significant outcomes for Leaders in the program as they grow and develop to reach their full potential. By examining individual and group growth data, CrossPurpose was able to delight board members and excite high-profile donors, proving the program can be a predictable investment, which resulted in increased funding.
IRIS is an objective tool that helps me measure the true impact of our program on the Leaders who are depending on us to help them develop the right skills to be successful.
Juan Peña
Chief Program Officer, CrossPurpose
CrossPurpose
About
CrossPurpose is a non-profit organization abolishing relational, economic, and spiritual poverty through career and community development. CrossPurpose is a 6-month career and community development program for motivated people who want to grow personally and succeed professionally. Skills development, career services support and even family support are all provided as part of their program.
At MIRRIM, we believe growth begins when we take the time to truly see ourselves and others.
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