Data is one of your most powerful tools for delivering successful, evidence-based programs, especially when used proactively. This tip sheet offers eight practical, data-driven strategies to help you plan workshops more effectively, track progress toward grant goals, support facilitators, and identify opportunities for stronger partnerships and improved outcomes.

Whether you're launching a new program or refining existing efforts, insights from your own program data or nationally aggregated data can help you make informed decisions and enhance your program’s impact from start to finish.

Clarify the difference between program participants and completers for your targeted evidence-based program

Reviewing the differences between how completion rates are calculated for CDSME and Falls Prevention programs can help estimate the number of workshops you’ll need to schedule and the number of participants you need to enroll to meet your yearly targets. Some completion definitions stem from the program developer’s research or may have been defined by the Administration for Community Living (ACL).

All participants in a fall prevention program will count toward your grant’s program targets. For CDSME programs, some programs count all participants, while others will only count those who have completed the program toward your targets.

Nevertheless, completion rates are a great way to gauge how well host organizations are retaining participants.  Low completion rates may signal logistical challenges with the workshop, poor fidelity, or facilitators struggling to keep participants engaged.

Plan for delays with programs new to your organization and network

NCOA’s data shows that grantees take an average of four months to deliver their first workshop. Looking back at grantee cohorts funded since 2020, we can see that CDSME grantees without prior experience take about six months, while falls prevention grantees take five and a half months. CDSME grantees who haven’t been funded since 2018 and are delivering programs new to them can take an average of nine months.

It’s essential for grantees to secure their program licenses, engage with program developers early, and identify and train facilitators as soon as possible. Grantees should build their networks and pinpoint potential delivery sites. If they encounter any setbacks, it’s critical that you connect with your Technical Assistance Liaisons and ACL program officers for help with troubleshooting issues and getting your programs off the ground.

Establish partnerships and training for Spanish-language programs early on

NCOA’s data indicates that, on average, Spanish-language Self-Management Resource Center programs, such as "Tomando Control De Su Salud," require about seven months longer than their English counterparts to deliver from the start of the grant period. This holds true even for grantees with prior experience with these programs.

Anticipate that delivering a Spanish-language evidence-based program may take longer to get off the ground than with English-language programs. Making inroads into a new community takes a bit of network building, cultural humility, and some research. Building trust with organizations that serve Latinx communities can require time, and you’ll need to engage in a dialogue about how the program may need to be adapted for a partner organization. Additional time may be necessary to train Community Health Workers or Facilitators to lead the workshops and assist with recruitment and enrollment.

For further guidance on reaching Latinx communities, we encourage you to review the toolkit, Empowering Change: Advancing Evidence-Based Chronic Disease Self-Management Education Programs in Hispanic and Latino Communities.

Solidify your strategy for implementing toolkits and get approval

Allow ample time to solidify your strategy for delivering any toolkits offered through the Self-Management Education Resource Center. NCOA’s data shows that they take approximately six months longer to implement than their in-person counterparts. The toolkits include:

• Tool Kit for Active Living with Chronic Conditions
• Tool Kit for Active Living with Diabetes
• Tool Kit for Active Living with Chronic Pain
• Herramientas para tener una vida activa con condiciones crónicas
• Herramientas para tener una vida activa con diabetes

Toolkits may offer greater flexibility, allowing organizations to reach participants who live in rural areas, are homebound, or are busy caregivers or working older adults. However, they should be offered as part of a more strategic and purposeful plan. They may need to be accompanied by follow-up phone or video calls to ensure participant engagement and completion of post-surveys. Be aware that your plan for dissemination must be presented to your ACL program officer for approval before you distribute your first toolkit.

For additional information on understanding the delivery of toolkits and how to enter them into the Healthy Aging Programs Integrated Database (HAPID®), follow the guidance: Data Entry Instructions: Self-Management Resource Center Tool Kits for Active Living with Chronic Conditions, Diabetes, and Pain.

Plan workshops and calculate enrollment rates using established averages from national data

Use national average workshop size and completion rates from HAPID’s public Tableau charts to guide scheduling workshops and determine enrollment capacity.

The average class size can vary based on several factors, including the convenience of the workshop’s location and time, intensity of targeted recruitment efforts, room capacity, and other parameters set for ideal class size. If you’re unsure of what the typical class size looks like, you can review the average workshop size for each evidence-based program in the HAPID public Tableau figure. These are national aggregates – it’s important that you plan logistics like class size based on what is feasible for you and your partner organizations.

In addition to class size, consider the expected completion rates. You can review data reports on completion rates by program in your account on HAPID to identify patterns and assess your track record. Reports showcasing completion rates in HAPID® are shown by evidence-based program, Host Organization, or Facilitator. If your completion rates are around 70%, for instance, use that information to estimate the number of participants you’ll need to enroll to meet your grant goals.

You may want to view the webinar, “Creating Master EBP Workshop Calendars,” where you can learn more about estimating enrollment and additional tips for effective scheduling strategies. For further assistance in finding and using reports in HAPID, we recommend completing the intensive webinar “All About HAPID Reports and Dashboards.”

Use program satisfaction rates to assess Facilitator and Host organization performance and pinpoint gaps

Where feasible, grantees must attempt to collect post-surveys from participants, and are encouraged to reach out to participants even if they are absent on the last day of the workshop. On CDSME forms, post-surveys include a question asking participants to rate their satisfaction with the program's quality, on a 5-point Likert scale, where 1 is not at all satisfied and 5 equates to very satisfied. For Falls prevention programs, participants are asked to rate their likelihood of recommending the program to a friend or relative, on a 5-point Likert scale, where 1 is strongly disagree to 5 equates to strongly agree.

You can access your program's satisfaction rates and approval ratings in HAPID by program, Host organization, and Facilitator. Satisfaction rates for CDSME can be found in your ‘CDSME Reports’ folder, while the approval ratings for Falls prevention can be found in your ‘Falls Prevention Reports’ folder. Facilitator reports are found in the ‘Facilitator Data’ report folder. Low scores on these metrics can signal deficits or challenges faced by Host organization partners or facilitators. It may prompt your team to conduct fidelity checks or identify retraining needs. You may also wish to compare your performance ratings to nationally aggregated data by evidence-based program by Falls prevention or CDSME.

If additional support to facilitators is needed, grantees are advised to review several tips and guidance for supporting facilitators. Organizations can support facilitators and leaders by clearly communicating expectations, time commitments, and program requirements upfront through recruitment materials, interviews, and MOUs. Scheduling leaders’ first workshops before or immediately after training helps secure commitment, especially when paired with mentorship, shadowing, or co-facilitation with experienced leaders.

Organizations can support new leaders by supporting participant recruitment with centralized marketing toolkits, branded messaging, information sessions, and registration websites. Ongoing support is also crucial, including regular check-ins, recognition, mentorship, and professional development opportunities such as Master Trainer training. These efforts promote leader retention, develop a strong delivery infrastructure, and ensure the long-term sustainability of community health programs.

Use completion rates to assess network performance

Several reports in the HAPID can be used to track your organization’s completion rates by program, Host Organization, and Facilitator. Additionally, you can compare your completion rates against national aggregated rates in HAPID public Tableau figures, including by implementation site.

Some variation in completion rates across your network is expected, especially as organizations are just getting started and are becoming comfortable delivering these programs. Higher completion rates are a healthy sign that participants are resonating with the content and facilitator. Logistics around the workshop’s location and time may also be favorable.

You may want to identify host organizations with below-average completion rates, as these may indicate challenges with adhering to the program’s fidelity, logistical issues, or a facilitator who might need additional support. Identifying challenges early can help prevent low turnout.

Promote comprehensive, accurate, and timely data collection, including the Post Survey

Data collected by your team provides an invaluable picture of your grant’s performance.  Ultimately, you are responsible for ensuring that your network partners are entering data in HAPID in a timely manner and are free of errors.  Grantees are required to enter data into HAPID within 30 days of the workshop’s completion.

Data entry errors are human nature, and it’s important that you review your reports in HAPID regularly to identify any discrepancies. You can email the HAPID team at HapidHelp@ncoa.org with questions about your data, to seek help, make corrections, or get assistance with finding, exporting or interpreting reports.

Information collected from participants is used to assess changes in participant satisfaction from baseline to post-program, evaluate facilitator performance, and track attendance, all of which impact a grantee’s progress toward their grant goals. For tips on optimizing your data collection, visit Tip Sheet: Maximizing Complete and Accurate Data and Tip Sheet: Collecting Participant and Partner Data for ACL Chronic Disease Self-Management and Falls Prevention Evidence-Based Programs.

This project was supported by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $10,000,000 with 100 percent funding by ACL/HHS.  The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by ACL/HHS or the U.S. Government.