Mostly "What Works" focuses on either Why Organizations Thrive  and Why Organizations Go Off Course, both of which detail lessons I learned while growing the Oregon League of Conservation Voters (OLCV), buttressed by my observations of dozens of other groups both in Oregon and across the country.

Why Organizations Go Off Course Lesson Ten is:  Identify a Theory of Change.

Organizations that fail to identify their theory of change are more likely to go off course.

What is a Theory of Change?

In plain language, a theory of change explains how the activities of the organization lead to accomplishment of the programmatic goal(s) an organization is seeking.

Sometimes the theory is a series of logical statements (because we do A, therefore B happens; because B happens, and we do C, therefore D happens; until one of these statements leads to the "goal" being achieved).

Sometimes the theory can be inserted into a flow chart or other graphical diagram that helps visually explain the way different activities come together in ways that a logic chain or written statements can't easily handle.

Other theories of change I've seen are simply a series of "Strategic Assumptions" written down that collectively embody the theory.

What format makes sense for any particular organization is highly dependent on the circumstances - the nature of the goal being sought, the types of activities pursued, and the complexity of the  

organization.

Why are theories of change important?  And how do you create them?