Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I register my Club to collect survey data?
   Registration is easy. Simply click on the Sign Me Up link on the home page or at the bottom of any page of the Tool Kit site to request a password and Club ID.
   
2. What is my Club’s ID and password?
   Your Club ID is the same as your Global ID. The password is a confidential identifier. If you’ve forgotten your password, go to the Help link, accessible from the bottom of any page on the Tool Kit site, to request and receive an e-mail verification of your ID and password.
   
3. I’m having trouble logging on. What do I do?
   Verify your Club ID and password for accuracy. Your Club ID is the same as your Global ID. If you’re still having difficulty, click on Help at the bottom of any page of the Tool Kit site to receive an e-mail verification of your ID and password.
   
4. How do I log on youth in my Club so they can take the surveys online? How do I set up unique identifier codes for them?
   The Taking Surveys section of the Tool Kit walks you through this process step by step. The log-on process for youth is easy to use and provides them with simple instructions for setting up their own identifiers.
   
5. If a computer freezes while a young person is taking the survey, how does he or she get back to the survey?
   The first version of the Tool Kit sometimes timed out or appeared to freeze because of the complex data computations it performed. The new Tool Kit’s mathematical computations are simpler, so this problem should be lessened significantly. However, if you experience difficulty.....
   
6. How do I learn more about administering surveys more successfully?
   Who to Survey and How to Survey in the Administering Surveys section of the site provide practical tips and instructions for ensuring effective survey administration. Obtaining Consent provides guidelines and sample customizable letters for securing permission from parents and guardians for their youth to take the surveys.
   
7. How can I have youth take only certain sections of the surveys?
   If you want your Club’s youth to take only certain sections of the surveys, you can do so from the Taking Surveys section of the site. When individual youth complete their log-on process, you can direct them to select the specific survey sections you want them to answer from the Begin Survey screen. They can click on the boxes next to the specific outcome categories or indicators you are interested in using, e.g., Deepening Impact, Strengthening Character, etc.
   
8. We don’t have enough computers at our Club (or don’t have adequate Internet access) to have members take the surveys online. Can we administer the surveys offline? How can we access paper versions of the surveys?
   Go to How to Administer the Surveys in the Administering Surveys section for instructions for offline survey administration and access to PDF files of the surveys that you can download and/or print out.
   
9. If I have trouble getting survey results or have other questions, whom do I contact for assistance?
   The Help link, accessible from the bottom of every page on the Tool Kit site, allows users to send questions to BGCA’s Program Services department directly via e-mail.
   
10. How can I download survey responses into an Excel file so my Club can re-analyze the data and customize reports?
    Go to Generating Reports in the Getting Results section of the site to make queries. Some queries may not be available. In those cases, results can be downloaded into an Excel file so that you can manipulate data on your own.
    
11. My Club used the old version of the Tool Kit. Can we still access our old data so we can compare those results with our current results using the new version of the Tool Kit?
    You can obtain old survey data for your Club by clicking on Help at the bottom of any page of the Tool Kit site and submitting a request. Although the revised Tool Kit uses some survey items from the 1998 version, the revised surveys are updated, more comprehensive and focused on current outcome indicators. Also, scoring procedures in the new Tool Kit have been updated and are based on the results from a recent field-test group of survey takers from Clubs all over the country. As a result, outcome data are generally comparable with findings from previous years, but BGCA does not advise attempting to make a point-to-point comparison.
    
12. Are Spanish-language versions of the surveys available?
    There are no Spanish versions available at this time.
    
13. Where can I find more information about evaluating programming?
    Using Other BGCA Assessment Tools in the Using Results section of the site describes other assessment and evaluation resources available from BGCA and how they can be used in conjunction with the Youth Development Outcome Measurement Tool Kit. Helpful Links and Outside Resources, also in the Using Results section of the site, describes and provides links to other useful outside resources. You can also find more information on the Planning and Evaluation Resources page of www.bgca.net. (From the main menu, click on the Programs tab and select Planning & Evaluation from the drop-down menu). One of the resources available on this page is Proven Results: A Compendium of Program Evaluations from Boys & Girls Clubs of America. This comprehensive resource includes general information on program evaluation and outcome measurement, summaries of formal evaluations that have been conducted on BGCA national programs, and a resource section replete with descriptions of other useful outside resources.