“Spiraling up”: Using ripple effect mapping to evaluate how an extension volunteer program increases community development capacity

J. Dara Bloom

Community Development, 2021, vol. 52, issue 1, 22-41

Abstract: Evaluation metrics that assess the impacts of Cooperative Extensionprogramming focus on quantifiable indicators that may overlookbroader community-level changes. This study addresses this by usingthe “spiraling up” theory of change and Ripple Effect Mapping to assesshow volunteers build Cooperative Extension’s communitydevelopment capacity. Focusing on Family and Consumer Scienceagents and volunteers in the North Carolina Extension Master FoodVolunteer program, analysis focused on whether volunteers increasedExtension’s bonding and bridging social capital to create a process ofexpanded community engagement. Findings indicate that volunteershelped Extension agents reach new areas, organizations, andpopulations, expanding impacts and increasing community access toresources, as suggested by the “spiraling up” theory of change. Thecommunity relationships fostered by volunteers are a key first step toincreasing Extension’s capacity to affect institutional and communitylevelchanges, which provides lessons for organizations that use healthand wellness programs to promote community development.

Date: 2021
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/15575330.2020.1830816 (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:taf:comdev:v:52:y:2021:i:1:p:22-41

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.tandfonline.com/pricing/journal/RCOD20

DOI: 10.1080/15575330.2020.1830816

Access Statistics for this article

Community Development is currently edited by John Green, Rhonda Phillips and Anne Heinze Silvis

More articles in Community Development from Taylor & Francis Journals
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Chris Longhurst ().