Business (For- and Not-for-Profit)

Appendix F22

Round 1
Community Based Organization Interview Guide

Community Based Organization Interview Guide

Round 1: Implementation

Community based organizations (CBOs) have been recruited by the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) to support the HIP initiative by providing information and training to HIP participants. DTA has established a HIP Steering Committee (HSC) consisting of community based organizations. The Abt team will interview the HSC and key CBOs in Hampden County, Massachusetts, the location of the HIP. The CBOs that will be interviewed will be agreed upon between Abt, FNS and DTA. The purpose of Round 1 interviews with the HSC and CBOs is to document the way that HIP is implemented and the involvement of the CBOs.

For Round 1, there will be one interview with the HSC and at each CBO location agreed upon between the Abt Team and FNS. The interviews will take place approximately 6 to 8 weeks before the implementation of HIP, focusing on preparations for supporting the HIP initiative and HIP participants.

Interviews will include the following questions. Additional, follow-up questions are anticipated, to clarify or expand responses.

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 90 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, Office of Research and Analysis, 3101 Park Center Drive, Room 1014, Alexandria, VA 22302 ATTN: PRA (0584-xxxx). Do not return the completed form to this address.

GENERAL INFORMATION

1. Date and Time of Interview

2. Location of Interview

3. Name(s) and Title(s) of Respondent(s)

4. Provide a description of your normal job functions.

5. Describe your involvement with HIP activities to date. Check all that apply.

 Supporting the grant application

 Participation in the HIP Steering Committee

 Retailer recruitment

 Preparing your staff on HIP

 Other (please define)

HIP INFORMATION

5. How and when did you first learn about HIP?

6. Describe how you have been provided with ongoing information or updates concerning HIP, such as meetings, conference calls, e-mails, and mailings, and the frequency of these interactions.

   1. Describe what works best about these methods and what could be improved.

   2. Describe the HIP materials that have been provided to you, including what is good about the materials and what could be improved.

7. Describe the areas of HIP that are hardest to understand, such as your organization’s role, how and when incentives are given to participants, what food items are eligible for incentives, how to check-out at the grocers, or the random assignment of participation.

   1. Describe what could be done, such as changing procedures, clearer instructions, more information, better training or improved materials, to make this area easier to understand.

HIP IMPLEMENTATION

5. Describe whether you or your organization are sufficiently prepared for HIP to begin or if further support is necessary.

   1. Describe the activities that have been the most and the least effective in preparing for HIP.

   2. Describe issues, if any, which have arisen in preparing for HIP and how these issues were resolved.

HIP COORDINATION

5. If you’ve been involved with the HIP Steering Committee (HSC), when did you start participating and what has been your role in the workgroup? If not, skip to question 10.

   1. Describe what the HSC has been tasked to do (such as retailer recruitment, providing suggestions for procedures/policies, or providing suggestions for HIP and nutrition training) and whether it is accomplishing these tasks.

   2. Describe how often the HSC meets and whether this is sufficient for accomplishing HSC tasks.

   3. Describe the strengths and weaknesses of the HSC, such as the ability to provide insight into the community or the inability to influence processes or procedures.

6. Describe the level and type of coordination that has occurred between you or your organization and other stakeholders. Check all that apply.

 Massachusetts DTA Central Office

 Local DTA offices

 SNAP retailers

 Participants

 Other (please define)

5. What has been the impact or result of your coordination with these stakeholders?

6. What has been the most and the least time consuming about your coordination with these stakeholders?

7. In regard to HIP, are there ways that your organization could further support these stakeholder groups?

8. In regard to HIP, are there ways that your organization could be provided with additional assistance from these stakeholder groups?

HIP READINESS

5. Other than previously discussed, what issues, if any, have been encountered and how were these issues resolved?

6. What changes could be made to improve HIP implementation?

7. What key lessons have you learned from your experiences to date?

NON-REIMBURSED EXPENDITURES

Request time sheets kept by the CBO, if any and review to ensure that the costs are understood before leaving the interview.