This past year, the Network team has been experimenting with new Brigade reporting processes to replace the big End of Year reporting process from previous years.
To recap, here are the current major changes in the new reporting process:
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Reporting is separated into two categories: Brigade general activity reporting vs Project reporting
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Brigade general activity reporting is centered around the Brigade’s overall engagement. This should be completed by Brigade leader(s).
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Project reporting is centered around a specific project’s engagement and outcomes. This can be completed by project leads, project members, and/or Brigade leader(s). Brigade leaders should be empowered to divvy up project reporting responsibilities to others. Project reporting is on a per-project basis (one project per form submission).
After piloting reporting on a quarterly cadence, we’ve learned that it is best to set-up a reporting process that is flexible for Brigades.
Proposal
Brigade Reporting will be open and available to complete on a quarterly basis but Brigades have the option to backfill previous quarters anytime during the year.
We encourage Brigades, especially Brigades fiscally sponsored by Code for America to complete reporting quarterly, if possible. In addition, we will be working to support Brigades and projects with tracking their engagement and defining and communicating outputs/outcomes/impact.
Why reporting is important: Brigade reporting is an essential activity for the CfA Network program to understand what support needs and gaps there are to address in our Brigade community, to equip Brigades with information to help communicate their Brigade’s impact and engagement when building partnerships or growing their volunteer base, and to provide information about the activities and impact of the entire Brigade Program to secure funding to sustain the CfA volunteer Network program at-large.
Network Team Brigade Reporting Steward: Marianne Miranda, Brigade Community Research Specialist
If you have any questions, need for support, and recommendations related to Brigade reporting, please contact Mari at mmiranda@codeforamerica.org.
Ways to Participate
1. Prompts for Discussion
Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
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What are your initial thoughts about the proposal?
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What reporting cadence would feel doable for your Brigade?
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What types of support would your Brigade need / what would your Brigade leaders, project leads, and relevant Brigade members need to feel equipped to report on your Brigade’s activities and projects?
2. Brigade Reporting Questions Feedback Document
Want to suggest a change or addition in the content for both reporting forms? Add a comment/suggestion in this Google Doc. You can also directly email Mari at mmiranda@codeforamerica.org. Our goal is to get to the point where the questions remain relatively the same so that the Network can focus on sharing guidance and best practices around reporting and Brigades can adopt processes to capture information that is expected from the start in a way that makes sense for each Brigade.
