First-Hand Assistance
Peer matches bring forth tools and know-how that is based on first-hand experience and is directly relevant to the problem participants are working to solve.
Bringing together peers from different communities to solve shared problems, as Casey did in its Making Connections initiative, is an effective technical assistance strategy for result-driven community change efforts. Although the “peer-match” process developed by the Center for the Study of Social Policy is time and resource intensive, it can be more cost effective than more traditional forms of technical assistance. This report describes in detail what peer matches are and how to use them effectively.
The peer match process is rigorous, intensive and can be expensive. But participating communities may save money and get better results quicker compared to technical assistance that relies on bringing in outside experts. The reason: Peer matches can surface concrete strategies quickly by drawing on the hands-on expertise of folks who have experience solving a problem a community has requested help on.