COMPASS As a Resource
How to Reference COMPASS
People are encouraged to use the information provided on COMPASS. When this information is used in publications or proposals, we would appreciate an acknowledgement.
A simple acknowledgement could read:
This information was provided by COMPASS of Larimer County, a service of Larimer County Department of Human Services and United Way of Larimer County.
If this is presented electronically, hyperlink the words COMPASS of Larimer County and avoid printing the web address. If it is in print, please print the web address, www.larimer.org/compass.
Because COMPASS is intended for grant writers and researchers among others, it is likely that many users will need to reference the information gained from COMPASS in endnotes or a bibliography.
We recommend using American Psychological Association style for electronic references. The specific format you use will depend on the part of COMPASS you are referencing. Measure pages have dates, while the overall site does not. The reports listed in the Executive Summary have a particular author, while the measure pages do not. Larimer County hosts the COMPASSwebsite and staff from United Way of Larimer County performs day-to-day management of the site (including writing the pages). This information may be helpful to you in citing COMPASS appropriately.
Linking to COMPASS
You are encouraged to add a link to COMPASS (www.larimer.org/compass) on your website. Please feel free to use the following graphic:
How Is COMPASS Used?
There are numerous ways COMPASS data can be applied. The steering committee's greatest hope was that COMPASS would be used as a springboard to launch whatever ideas people have to improve our community. With that said, possible uses of COMPASS include:
- Community Organizations and Service Providers can use COMPASS for a variety of purposes. For example, it's a quick research tool for grant writing. Agencies can also use COMPASS to post outcome statistics, showing how they improved a particular need. It can be used to help demonstrate need for programs or to determine program gaps and collaborate with other similar agencies to fill those gaps. COMPASS can also help assess long-term program impacts by providing answers to questions such as:
- Does our program need to expand?
- Are we having an impact at the community level?
- Overall, COMPASS can help agencies prioritize where to invest their time and efforts and avoid duplicating services offered by other agencies.
- Funders, such as United Way and local foundations, can use COMPASS to prioritize spending. By having this objective source of information, funders can determine the greatest community needs and fund accordingly. Later, progress can be measures on a community-wide basis. Ideally, COMPASS lets funders take a systemic approach to funding so their dollars can have a lasting impact.
- Local Government, such as the County and cities, can use COMPASS to develop policies and programs designed to impact priority areas, to prioritize internal funds, to justify the need for external dollars, and finally, to collaborate with other organizations to address key issues.
- Educators can use COMPASS to prioritize program funding. It can help administrators decide which curriculum is most needed by letting them keep an eye on vital measures like math and science scores, graduation rates, or even the physical health of students.
- Special interest groups, such as environmentalists and crime prevention groups, can use COMMPASS to track issues important to them over the long-term. The data can help them make decisions on what actions they want to take, such as forming a community initiative or developing a community education program.
- The community-at-large can use COMPASS to stay more informed on issues that matter to them. For example, a person could track air quality or the amount of open space preserved over time. COMPASS gives people a quick answer to questions about Larimer County, saving precious time rather than doing original research.
- Anyone can use COMPASS to unite over particular issues. It can be used to create a long-term, community-wide plan to improve the quality of life in Larimer County.