Libros Para Pueblos (LPP) is a Mexican nonprofit that partners with communities in Oaxaca, Mexico to establish lending libraries for children, provide free access to books and technology, and develop advocates for the joy and discovery of reading.
True Roots conducted a baseline study with LPP in order to gather information on the status of the organization and its programs. LPP wanted to better understand the impact of its programs, identify strengths, weaknesses and areas for improvement, and gather data to evaluate program effectiveness.
Collaborating with LPP, we established the organization’s outcome and impact indicators for 5 key stakeholder groups: Library Patrons, Librarians, Regional Coordinators, Parents of Library Patrons, and Municipal Leaders.
Drawing from stakeholder-centered evaluation methodologies, we built data-gathering instruments in the form of interview-style surveys for each group based on the themes of outlined impact indicators and LPP’s goals and objectives.
The data gathered from the baseline study was extensive – 421 surveys were applied in the field, resulting in 30, 953 new data points. Beyond numbers and graphics, the qualitative data gathered outlined stories of LPP’s impact for its stakeholders and provided the organization with valuable feedback.
The baseline study findings can be used by LPP to better understand the status of its programs and their impact at present. The LPP team can make evidence-based decisions, using the information gathered to identify organizational strengths and areas for improvements. Furthermore, Libros Para Pueblos now has an established historical record of the organization and its stakeholders. This study will serve literally as a baseline, from which progress on the organization’s objectives can be measured in the future.
