Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas is a healthcare conversion foundation that supports primary & preventative healthcare, dental services, social services, behavioral health, and population health programs throughout South Texas. In 2018, The IllumiLab had the privilege of supporting the foundation and its Youth and Child Mental Health partners.
After recognizing the challenges that their funded partners were facing when it came to defining and measuring their success, Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas sought to bring them together to learn from one another, build their capacity, and use their experience and expertise to inform the foundation’s evaluation strategy for its youth mental health portfolio. Over 12 months, The IllumiLab led a cohort of eight funded agencies through an interactive and collaborative process to develop a shared Theory of Change that could strengthen and guide each partner’s evaluation efforts as well as provide structure to the foundation’s outcomes framework.
Through workshops and peer learning, the partners identified meaningful and measurable outcome statements and aligned them with their shared Theory of Change. At the same time, The IllumiLab shared our Insights into Impact Process and Toolkit with the partners, so they can strengthen their organization’s performance management strategies. Together, we proposed an evaluation framework to the foundation that would provide it with data necessary to inform its funding decisions and tell its story, while providing valuable tools and support to its partners.
Here’s what some of the cohort participants had to say about the experience:
“Sarah is an outstanding coach, trainer and facilitator. I say that based on 23 years working with consultants and being one from time to time. Sarah is extremely knowledgeable and skillful at guiding leaders, helping them organize, understand, and communicate their thoughts about their organizations in terms of what they do, why they do what they do, and how they do it. She is friendly, engaging, organized and efficient, with great follow through!”
~ Geoff Gentry, Senior Vice President of Clinical Services, Clarity Child Guidance Center
“Sarah’s work ethic is strong and she finds creative ways to teach, coach, and mentor an area few people love. I highly recommend Sarah and The IllumiLab should your agency need to consider assistance in data management and program review. Even if you already have experience, she helps to draw more out of that experience. Sarah also has a great sense of humor. Should you choose to work with her, you won’t be disappointed!”
~ Julie Strentzch, Chief Program Officer, Roy Maas Youth Alternatives
“Sarah helped me better understand how to make changes within my agency. She helped the group develop processes to ask the right questions within our individual agencies. Sarah is enthusiastic throughout, maintaining patience when explaining various processes, again. Sarah’s thought-provoking questions helped the group visualize approaches to take within each of our organizations. She was interested in the group’s success at achieving set goals. Sarah is a super person to have on the team and a pleasure to get to know.”
~ Rosemary Coates, Senior Clinical Director, The Children’s Shelter Hope Center