Free kit · Strategy and planning
Logic Model and Theory of Change Kit: free logic model template in Word, Excel and PDF
Fill in the theory of change or logic model box on a funder's form, and keep both for one program, each with a filled example. An evaluation plan turns the outcomes into two or three questions you answer every year from records you already keep, and the annual review ends in a decision about the program.
Word, Excel and PDF · 11 pages · For executive directors, boards and funders
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What is inside
- Theory of change. The program's theory in one sentence, the pathway back from the goal and the assumptions underneath.
- Logic model. Inputs, activities, outputs and outcomes on one page, with a check before it goes to a funder.
- Evaluation plan. Two or three questions, each with an indicator, a data source, who collects it, when and a target.
- Annual program review. Results against the target and last year, and the board's decision: grow, keep, fix or stop.
- Organization theory of change. The mission linked to a few long-term outcomes and the programs that serve each one.
How to use it
- Pick one program: the largest, or the one with a funder's form due.
- Choose the order: for a new program, the theory of change first (Form A); with a form due this week, the logic model first (Form B) and the theory within the quarter.
- Before the program year: write the evaluation plan (Form C) and take the starting measure in the first weeks.
- Before the budget is drafted: review the results with the board and decide what changes (Form D).
- With the strategic plan: link every program to the organization's long-term outcomes (Form E).
Questions
Is the kit free?
Yes. Enter your name, email and organization once, and every kit in the library opens on this browser.
Can I edit it?
Yes. The Word and Excel files are fully editable: change the pathway steps, the indicators and the targets to fit your program and your funder's form.
Does it work in Google Docs?
Yes. Upload the Word file to Google Drive and open it with Google Docs; the tables and ruled lines carry over.
Can I share it inside my organization?
Yes. Copy it, adapt it and share it with your board and staff.
Read the guide
More kits for executive directors
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Nonprofit SWOT Analysis and Mission and Vision WorksheetsA SWOT session that ends in decisions with owners, and worksheets to test and rewrite your mission and vision
With a theory of change, the template is rarely where it goes wrong. The conversations are: naming the assumption you trust least, and telling the board that a well-loved program is not working. A coach is a thinking partner for those calls; designing an evaluation is technical work for an evaluator.
Six sessions of executive coaching: $300, $400 or $600, set by your organization's yearly operating expenses.
