Creative Documentation

In our complex society, nonprofit organizations, neighborhood and community groups, service clubs, and committed individuals play a significant — though often unnoticed or misunderstood — role through the provision of critical programs and as thought leaders and advocates. When evaluating an organization or a program, Fern Tiger Associates (FTA) combines quantitative and qualitative methodologies with unique and creative approaches to analyzing and presenting information and data about those organizations, programs, and those families and communities they touch.

FTA’s quantitative methods are rooted in both academic and marketing traditions — gathering, analyzing and translating data so that it can reach a wide variety of audiences. FTA also uses qualitative methods rooted in documentary photography and oral history to develop narratives that bring two-dimensional, quantitative data to life.

When used for internal evaluation, this combination of data and context is a vital component for plotting a future course for a program or organization. When employed for what FTA terms “advocacy documentation,” this visual, written, and oral information captures important events, real stories, and actions, providing insight into people’s lives as well as new ways to understand programs, issues, and decisionmaking. It also enables future generations to understand today’s struggles and accomplishments.

Case stories of select FTA projects involving Creative Documentation:

• California Child Care R&R Network (PDF)
• California Wellness Foundation (PDF)
• David and Lucile Packard Foundation (PDF)
• Irvine Foundation (PDF)
• Labor/Community Strategy Center (PDF)
• Marguerite Casey Foundation (PDF)
• Marin Community Foundation (PDF)
• Oakland 1979 (PDF)
• Salesforce.com Foundation (PDF)
• Southern Echo (PDF)