I'm a bit stuck on this one, since some desired results from the rides will be hard to measure: the results may take a while, people may not report results back to us (i.e., someone starts commuting to work after being on a Wellness Ride, but doesn't tell us about it), or people who are enjoying the impacts and benefits may not connect them to having been on a Wellness Ride.
What impact will the project have and how will the impact be measured?*
The immediate impact of the ride will be that ride participants enjoy the ride and feel it was worth their time. This will be measured by a post-ride survey asking participants for feedback. Subsequent impact to participants enjoying the ride is that they will tell their colleagues about the ride and participation will grow by word of mouth. This will be measured by tracking the number of total participants and new participants on each subsequent ride for the same agency.
This growth will also be measured by agencies' willingness to recommend that other state agencies also join the program, perhaps by writing letters of support or other ways they can recommend Wellness Rides to their fellow state agencies.
A possible impact is that state employees consider cycling for short trips or for the commute to work after participating in Wellness Rides. While we can measure this with a follow-up survey to the agencies, it can only truly be measured if the employees' and agencies' self-reporting is accurate. BikeTexas can track how many employees reach out to us after a ride for resources about making the transition to biking for some trips.
If state employees do turn to cycling as an activity, for short trips, or for commuting, they will benefit from improved cardiovascular health, which has benefits in reduced health care costs for the employee and the employer. These impacts may not be measurable, again, unless the employee makes the connection to the Wellness Ride and reports the impact back to BikeTexas.
Su, you are right about the possibility of poor self reporting. This is a typical market research problem which sponsors should expect. I think you are right to make the most of the information you can get. Could you promise a bonus, like a map of a neat Austin area ride for weekend enjoyment, to those who respond? Or, what about creating a FB organization page where riders can stay in touch and take quick, fun online surveys sent through the social media. You might learn about other perceived benefits through their comments.
ReplyDeleteOh, those are both great ideas. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteNice ideas, Julie!
ReplyDeleteTrying to find ways to measure each activity is important. Get creative. Maybe the measurement is simply completion of a task, involvement of so many people, etc. Put someone in charge of the reporting, and pay that person for the time. Perhaps some of the measurement specifics will come up later, by that person, rather than at the time of the proposal writing...
Your expected tools of measurement are good for this activity. I know it's hard to measure things like this. Such tools are also done with conferences such as the one I tend to put together - we track attendance, rely on surveys to tell us how we are doing, etc. I think Julie's ideas are great! With these activities, sometimes getting a bit more creative will bring out a stronger response.
ReplyDelete