When charities ask foundations to renew their grants, they can’t show only that a program was instituted as promised or that it served a certain number of people, says John A. LaRocca, vice president of the Rensselaerville Institute, a think tank for charities and foundations.

Charities need to show that participants in a particular program have grown or changed as a result of it, Mr. LaRocca said a conference for fund raisers held in New York last week. “We look for a relatively enduring change in behavior,” he said.

Mr. LaRocca and other speakers offered several additional tips as charities seek to show foundations they are producing results — and worthy of support.