Maple Grove Objective (MGO) is a small, woman-owned business whose core mission is to maximize social services organizations’ impact for the populations and communities they serve. Our unique approach blends data, strategy, and program implementation to provide our clients with timely and critical information that empowers them to make informed decisions and bolster their effectiveness.
We have extensive experience working with clients of all sizes, including non-profit organizations, corporations, and governmental agencies at the local, state, and federal levels.
Services
Maple Grove Objective offers a broad variety of consulting services to help your organization plan, measure, track, and evaluate outcomes. At the beginning of each project, we meet with the client to develop a project plan unique to their needs, applying the following principles:
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Remain objective to ensure clients' interests are always the foundation for the project.
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Provide clients with information on existing research and proven practices where possible to inform key decision points.
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Actively engage key partners throughout the process to ensure they have ownership of the end result.
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Strategy Consulting
We work with organizations at critical junctures to solve problems, implement programs, and develop strategic plans. We provide external support to complete work quickly when internal capacity is limited. We commit to aligning with our clients’ organizational practices, so projects can be successfully transitioned back to internal staff once our support ends.
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Strategic planning
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Replication and Scalability studies
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Collaborative program design
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Return on investment studies
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Project management
Sample Projects:
Chicago Public Schools Five-Year Strategic Plan
Facilitated strategy development and wrote copy for the strategic plan.
National Louis University Return on Investment Study
Calculated the financial and social impact of earning a degree.
Chicago Roadmap
Provided project management for a strategic collaboration between Chicago Public Schools and the City Colleges of Chicago.
GROW Feasibility Study
Assessed the feasibility of replicating a neighborhood-based education collaborative.
Data & Evaluation
We work collaboratively with our clients to understand their work and pinpoint the questions they have about implementation, outcomes, and impact. We begin every evaluation project by working with the client to develop a theory of action—the foundation for developing an evaluation plan that monitors progress and measures impact. We focus on continuous improvement, identifying, collecting, and analyzing the data needed to empower our clients’ decision-making.
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Data dashboards
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Program evaluation
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Data analysis
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Survey design and administration
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Focus groups and interviews
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Mixed methods research
Sample Projects:
Michael Reese Health Trust Work-Based Learning Program Evaluation
Evaluated the effectiveness of the foundation’s investment in an education-workforce program.
Safe Passage Impact Study for SGA Youth Services
Quantified and analyzed the impact of the Safe Passage program on neighborhood crime.
Evaluation of Pritzker Access Scholarship
Conducted mixed methods evaluation to determine impact of the scholarship on student success.
Landscape & Resource Analysis
We conduct comprehensive reviews of critical information to provide our clients’ with a deeper understanding of their environment. We work closely with our clients to articulate the information they are seeking, such as identifying best practices, finding similar program models, or analyzing internal or external funding streams. Then, we use the information to identify strengths, challenges, and opportunities of existing practices.
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Fiscal scans
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Funding analyses
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Program inventories
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Best practices scans
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Needs assessments
Sample Projects:
Fiscal Scan of Public Investments in Illinois Youth
Analyzed and reported the public investments in youth in the state of Illinois to inform policies on positive youth development.
Early Childhood Funding Scan
Conducted a scan of the philanthropic investments in early childhood across the state of Illinois to provide information to a foundation to guide their funding strategy.
Englewood Youth Services Asset Scan
Worked with Brightpoint’s Data Hub to compile and map a comprehensive list of the services available to youth living in the Englewood and West Englewood neighborhoods of Chicago.
We serve education, youth development, and social services organizations, including:
About Us
KELLY SPARKS
Founder and CEO
Kelly Sparks is a national expert and innovator in the areas of data strategy, program management, and strategic planning. Kelly is responsible for overseeing all projects, ranging from pure research and data projects to strategic planning efforts. In addition to her role at Maple Grove Objective, she co-founded the National Postsecondary Strategy Institute, which works intensively with school district leadership teams to improve student postsecondary success. Previously, Kelly held the position of Principal Researcher at the American Institutes for Research (AIR) where she led the college and career readiness group and served as the Director of the National Charter School Resource Center. As Principal Researcher, Kelly was responsible for all aspects of evaluation design and oversight of large-scale evaluation projects. Prior to AIR, Kelly was the Research Director at the Chicago Public Schools responsible for tracking the postsecondary outcomes of students and analyzing the data to better understand the levers that impact postsecondary success. Her research and data team developed innovative approaches to connect school and central office administrators with actionable data to target their efforts and improve their outcomes. Kelly has a Master in Public Policy from the University of Chicago.
DAVID SPARKS
Founder and COO
David Sparks is the Chief Operating Officer of Maple Grove Objective where he is responsible for leading projects in the areas of communications, strategy, and analysis. David manages the communications components of the organization’s projects, including writing, editing, and visual design. In addition, he leads MGO's quasi-experimental studies and program evaluations. Prior to entering the policy field, David spent over 10 years as a professional writer and editor with an emphasis on technical writing. During that time, he worked for Courthouse News Service as the Managing Editor for the online publication's Daily Brief. David has a Master of Public Policy from the University of Chicago and has substantial training in program evaluation, data analysis, and cost-benefit analysis with a strong focus on the education and labor sectors.