Logic Model
Looking to take your program strategy to the next level? Look no further than Sopact's Impact App and Logic Model. Our innovative tools and resources are designed to help organizations of all sizes and sectors create and implement effective impact strategies that deliver measurable results.
What is logic model?
A logic model is a powerful tool that can help you plan, implement, and evaluate programs with greater precision and impact. Sopact's impact strategy app allows you can create logic models. But, it takes it further by aligning with data strategy and dashboard plan. Turn them into actionable strategies for success, unlocking their full potential.
Build a visual representation of the relationships between program inputs, activities, outputs, and outcomes. It can help you design, check, and communicate the effectiveness of your program.
The logic model can help you improve program efficiency and accountability to enhance stakeholder engagement and funding opportunities. However, creating effective logic models can be challenging. It requires a deep understanding of program theory, data collection and analysis, and stakeholder feedback. Sopact's impact strategy app offers comprehensive tools and resources to guide you through the process and help you succeed.
Watch our impact strategy video to see how it works, explore the library of strategies to find inspiration, and sign up. With Sopact's actionable approach to impact strategy, you can unlock your full program potential and make a real difference.
How program logic model can help?
Here are several ways in which a logic model can be helpful:
- Planning: A logic model can be useful for planning and designing a program or intervention. It helps program planners identify the resources they need, the activities they will conduct, and the outcomes they hope to achieve.
- Communication: A logic model can communicate the logic behind a program. Staff can decide on interventions for stakeholders, such as funders, partners, and community members. It can help clarify the program's goals and objectives and show how it is intended to achieve its intended outcomes.
- Evaluation: A logic model can guide the assessment of a program or intervention. It can help evaluators to identify the appropriate indicators and data and track the program performance over time.
- Continuous improvement: The logic model can be a valuable tool for continuous improvement. Staff can learn about programs that are working well. Staff can also learn about a program that needs to be modified or improved. It can also help to identify any unintended consequences of the program.
Overall, a logic model can be a valuable tool for understanding and improving the effectiveness of a program or intervention. The main difference here is that when you design a logic model, you must start with dashboard design and bind your data strategy to get the most effective results in a short time using the impact strategy app
Logic Model vs Theory Of Change
A logic model is a visual representation of the relationships among a program or intervention's resources, its activities, and the outcomes it seeks to achieve. It is a tool that helps program planners, evaluators, and stakeholders to understand and communicate the logic behind a program or intervention.
On the other hand, a theory of change is a detailed explanation of the logic behind a program or intervention. It explains the program's assumptions and underlying reason and outlines its steps to achieve its desired outcomes.
While a logic model and a theory of change are similar, they help explain the logic behind a program or intervention; they differ in detail and complexity. A logic model is typically a more concise and visual representation of the program's logic, while a theory of change is a more detailed and written explanation.
Using a logic model and a theory of change can be helpful in several ways. First, the logic model can visually represent the program's logic that is easy to understand and communicate to stakeholders. In contrast, the theory of change can give a more detailed and in-depth explanation of the program's logic. Together, these tools can help program planners, evaluators, and stakeholders better understand the program and its intended impacts and track its progress over time.
In general, a logic model and a theory of change communicate how change is expected to be created. A logic model usually focuses on a specific program or intervention, mapping in a linear way how the inputs, activities, etc., lead to expected outputs and outcomes. It will contain fewer contextual elements (for example, the problem being addressed) than a Theory of Change model.
In short, they both show how an intervention will create impact results. The differences are to what extent and where they focus.
Here are some of the key differences
| Criteria | Logic Model | Theory of Change |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Describes the inputs, activities, outputs, and outcomes | Describes how the program will create the desired change |
| Focus | Program activities | Program goals and outcomes |
| Time Orientation | Short-term, linear | Long-term, non-linear |
| Emphasis | Program implementation | Program impact and change |
| Approach | Prescriptive | Collaborative |
| Flexibility | Low | High |
| Audience | Funders, stakeholders | Program staff, funders, stakeholders |
| Scope of Analysis | Narrow | Broad |
Table: Comparision between logic model vs. theory of change
The comparison table shows that while logic models and theories of change have some similarities in their purpose and audience, they differ in several critical criteria. The logic model primarily focuses on program implementation, while the theory of change emphasizes program impact and change. The time orientation of the logic model is short-term and linear, while the theory of change has a long-term and non-linear perspective. The approach of the logic model is prescriptive, while the theory of change is collaborative. Finally, the flexibility of the logic model is low, while the theory of change is high, and the scope of analysis of the logic model is narrow compared to the broad scope of the theory of change.
This image from Tools4Dev visually demonstrates some of the critical differences mentioned above.
Logic Model Framework
Listen to the above webinar from Upaya Social Venture for a more in-depth understanding
1. Be systematic
A well-thought-out logic model can help you systematically break down your intervention and think through the cause and effect of what your organization does.
A sample logic model template
2. Associate Metrics
Quantitative metrics give organizations an idea of whether or not they’re on track toward their mission. To track new job creation, for instance, Upaya records how many new jobs each company in our portfolio creates each quarter.
To track progress out of poverty, however, we measure the increase in income that this new job provides and then observe what it helps the person: improve the condition of their house. Eat more food? Purchase more assets? Send their children to school?
Upaya’s logic model includes outputs and outcomes measured using quantitative metrics.
3. Measure the depth of impact
For Upaya, we must do more than count the number of jobs created and assess whether the jobs are changing. These jobs must pay fairly, pay well, be dignified, and move people out of poverty.
We conduct regular surveys with the individuals who receive these jobs to measure the extent to which the positions and increased income are having the desired impact.
Upaya asks jobholders what their newly increased income will help them achieve to understand the impact the jobs are having on their lives.
Creating logic model
Upaya Social Ventures is a Seattle-based impact fund. Their mission is to create dignified jobs and eradicate extreme poverty. Their work most closely aligns with SDG 1 & SDG 8. Let's dive deeper into the logic model and metrics they use to measure decent wages, economic growth, and eradicating extreme poverty.
It is a thought-provoking and expert video that every impact practitioner should watch.
As Sachi Shenoy, founder of Upaya Ventures, says, "The first question everyone asks is, how do you create jobs?"
Upaya creates jobs by supporting entrepreneurs building businesses in India's marginalized communities that Upaya feels have the potential to employ the ultra-poor. The Upaya social venture identifies high-potential enterprises early on and makes seed investments.
Upaya invests patient equity capital in entrepreneurs to help them grow their businesses. They receive advice on operations and financial management from Upaya, and Upaya facilitates connections to the next investment round. This will enable them to continue growing after working with Upaya.
The following video gives a deeper logic model that helps us very systematically breakdown our intervention and
- Think through - step by step.
- What are the causes and effects of Upaya's actions?
- With any logic model, you should start with the inputs.
The immediate impact of doing all these things is that the immediate output is a profitable, self sustainable, and scalable business. If these businesses are all those things, they should create new jobs for the poor.
Upaya has some control over these things as Upaya because this is how they work hands-on with our entrepreneurs. Upaya's founder Sachi advises businesses on making their systems more robust and profitable. He hopes this will result in more jobs.
But then, what happens next is a little bit out of Upaya's control. However, Upaya certainly hopes that it happens because that is what Upaya hopes for. That is, newly created jobs should provide stable and increased income for jobholders, and that income should move those jobholders out of poverty. Upaya looks at how it moves job holders out of poverty along several dimensions.
Once the logic model is defined, Upaya can then define the metrics. Corresponding to each of these steps, these quantitative measures give us an idea of whether they are on track or not with our mission. The SDGs are especially relevant to it. SDG number eight doesn't just mention the number of jobs. It cares about decent work. These jobs must pay well, be dignified, and move people out of poverty, right?
Let's review Upaya's Logic Model below and get an in-depth understanding of achieving a goal.
