The Power of Strategic Clarity

CodeCrew: Transforming Activity into Measurable Impact

A Case Study

Bloom Education Group partnered with CodeCrew, a Memphis-based nonprofit that has equipped over 15,000 students with essential computer science skills, fostering an early interest in AI, coding, and innovation. CodeCrew offers a wide variety of high-impact programs, including in-school classes, summer camps, and a code school for adults.

The Challenge: Proving Systemic Value

CodeCrew's success was evident in its activity, but the organization faced a common scaling challenge: multiple main programs, different staff teams, and various revenue streams made it difficult to communicate a unified impact story to major funders. They needed a structured framework to effectively demonstrate the value and impact of their investment to strategic investors.

Since 2015 CodeCrew has offered a Hackathon aimed at inspiring teamwork and civic engagement for students.

The Bloom Solution: A Unified Strategic Framework

Bloom Education Group engaged CodeCrew in a comprehensive, collaborative process to build a robust impact measurement framework. Our solution provided the necessary clarity and organizational alignment:

Mission Refinement & Alignment

We conducted a core session with key stakeholders, utilizing collaborative technology (digital Miro boards) to formalize and refine the organization’s Mission, Vision, and Organizational Theory of Change. This ensured every staff member had a clear understanding of their role in the greater ecosystem.

Logic Modeling for Precision

We moved from the organizational theory to tactical precision by developing separate Logic Models for each key program. This graphical approach clarified the specific, practical steps (activities) required to achieve expected outcomes.

Key Performance Indicator (KPI) Identification

The Logic Models served as the foundation for identifying specific, practical outcomes (KPIs) for every program. For example, for an AP Computer Science program, KPIs included the number of students who passed the AP exam and the number who went on to pursue an associate’s or four-year degree.

Evaluation Framework Design

Once the practical outcomes were defined, we designed the Evaluation Framework to capture the necessary data, ensuring reports would clearly demonstrate the impact of funder investments.

The Result: Confidence and Employability

The engagement transformed CodeCrew's operational clarity and fundraising capacity, providing the tangible proof demanded by strategic funders.

Strategic Clarity: CodeCrew gained a formalized organizational Theory of Change and a structured Logic Model for each program, ensuring every action directly contributes to a measurable outcome.

Actionable Data: The new system empowers CodeCrew to learn and improve from its impact data, continually refining programs based on evidence of what works.

Funder Confidence: CodeCrew is now equipped with an evaluation framework to generate clear reports that clearly demonstrate to funders the impact of their investment. This elevates the organization's credibility and competitiveness for sustainable funding.

The Bloom Difference

We translate passion into a plan, ensuring that your organization is not just doing good work, but can prove it logically, practically, and reliably. This is the foundation of strategic success.