Jessica Elsaesser Case Study

The Challenge

What challenge did Jessica want PAGE Capacity Builders to address?

Jessica needed to build consensus and make data meaningful, showing teams how attendance, engagement, or survey results could directly inform programming and demonstrate impact.

“Because we’re a long-term program, success looks different for us,” Jessica explained. “We ask things like: does this young person feel better about themselves this year than they did last year? Are their relationships improving? Are they doing better in school? We needed metrics that connected that story.”

The Solutions

What strategy or service did PAGE Capacity Builders provide?

PAGE Capacity Builders was brought in as a consultant to guide the process of refining the metrics framework, introduce it in a clear, accessible way, and facilitate consensus-building at the national staff conference.

Pre-Work & Relationship Building

Before the conference, Page worked directly with affiliate programs and executive directors to begin capacity-building conversations to build trust and clarify the project’s purpose.

Collaborative Facilitation

At the conference, Page introduced a structured, yet collaborative process that included developing shared definitions and leading affiliates through an importance-feasibility matrix. This tool allowed staff from all levels to identify which metrics were both meaningful and realistically measurable, ensuring the final selections reflected the network’s priorities and capacity.

How did PAGE Capacity Builders help Jessica solve the challenge?

Throughout the project, Page partnered closely with Jessica, combining her relational and facilitative expertise with Jessica’s technical understanding of the organization’s database and systems. Together, they created tools and frameworks that affiliates could continue to use long after the conference.

“Page had a great understanding of how to slowly introduce the project rather than unrolling all at once. The relational approach, returning to our values and our why, helped us find consensus,” Jessica explained.

The Impact & Success

How did this solution impact the “I Have a Dream” Foundation?

The partnership helped affiliates see the direct connection between their data entry and the bigger picture of impact rather than just collecting data for compliance. This shift helped affiliates understand how data could inform program decisions and highlight progress for students in school performance, self-confidence, and relationships over time.

Jessica noted, “Page helped us bridge the gap between just entering data and actually using it to analyze, make program decisions, and tell our story.”

Were there any measurable outcomes achieved as a result of partnering with PAGE Capacity Builders?

The IHDF Impact Report, which presents data from every affiliate in the network, marked a milestone in demonstrating the value of the metrics framework in practice. An upcoming internal report will build on this foundation to further support affiliates’ use of the data.

What qualitative benefits were achieved as a result of partnering with PAGE Capacity Builders? 

Feedback from the experience has been overwhelmingly positive, with affiliates appreciating the highly collaborative process. One goal was to use the data for program development and also to communicate with school administrators, funders, and other stakeholders. More accessible reports have made that possible. One affiliate went above and beyond, pairing metrics with photos, testimonials, and stories of Dreamers.

“They’re using the data to tell the story, which is the dream, right?” Jessica said.

The Road Ahead

Were there any unexpected benefits or unique advantages that Jessica gained from partnering with PAGE Capacity Builders?

One unexpected benefit came through PAGE’s facilitation at the staff conference. The session provided Jessica with a powerful model for shared decision-making among a large, ideologically diverse group. Jessica said it was both a learning opportunity for her as a leader and a framework she can apply to future staff trainings, showing how open discussion can still lead to clear decisions.

What benefits does Jessica anticipate long-term from partnering with PAGE Capacity Builders?

Jessica views the metrics project as a long-term initiative that will continue shaping the foundation’s work. With clear definitions in place, the organization is creating a grant language library to strengthen fundraising and align performance measurement across affiliates.

She anticipates using data partnerships, like they did this summer with Duquesne University’s data science department, to analyze the relationship between social-emotional learning hours and survey results. She also envisions adding new or refined metrics and incorporating qualitative measures to capture the foundation’s impact.

“We’ve built definitions, parameters, and tools that will keep evolving. Page’s support gave us the foundation to align our network and move forward,” Jessica shared.