This week-end I found myself navigating the underground tunnel system of a local university on my way to the library. Although this was not my first time, it got me thinking of others. If not for the signs, newer navigators would have either run into dead-ends or ended up walking in circles. Evaluations can [...]
One of my childhood memories is of my fifth grade English teacher posing this question to us as she analyzed a piece of classical literature: does the means justify the ends? She qualified her question with, “I know you are too young to understand this, but one day you will.” I wonder how many of [...]
Program evaluations are “individual systematic studies conducted periodically or on an ad hoc basis to assess how well a program is working1.” What was your reaction to this definition? Has the prospect of undertaking a “research study” ever deterred you for conducting a program evaluation? Good news! Did you know that program evaluation is not [...]
Previously we covered part 1 of this post. Step 4: “Be the Early Bird…”– Plan Evaluation Early The best time to plan an evaluation is before program implementation has begun. Plan evaluation during the program planning stage. This helps reduce back-tracking and helps to create a culture of evaluation more naturally. This also prevents having [...]
Nervous about Evaluation? In many ways a program evaluation can be like a well-child doctor’s appointment. Observations are made, evidence collected and advice dispensed to the caregivers. Someone I know, despite being a devoted mother, dreaded well-child doctor’s appointments for her firstborn. The visits made her nervous. Let us pause to consider why check-ups made [...]
Is Your Program “Stuck” Due to Inadequate Funding? Consider Program Evaluation Recently our car would not start. You guessed it– it was the battery. A mechanically-inclined friend made a casual comment about the worth of car batteries, which can provide insight into maximizing funding for your programs. The friend said something to the effect of, [...]
The following is a guest post from Anne Marie Smith. Let’s play a quick word association game. What is the first word or feeling that comes to mind for each of these companies? Fannie Mae Enron Disney Starbucks If you’re like most people, your attitude about the first two is the polar opposite from your [...]
This article is about the importance of knowing as much about your website as possible from an user perspective and putting that information to work.
I recently gave this presentation entitled “Being on a Board: What’s It All About?” at the Grant Professionals MidAtlantic Conference and I am sharing the slides with you here. I was asked to give this presentation because many grant professionals get asked to be on a Board and some would like to be on a [...]
Is your nonprofit publishing an annual report? If not, you may be missing a big opportunity. Funders are interested in this report and posting it to your website is becoming a more important part of accountability and transparency standards. Having an annual report is required by Guidestar to have their Guidestar Exchange seal. If you [...]
Marion is a popular facilitator of workshops and Board retreats. Her expertise includes strategic planning, board development, governance and harnessing the power of technology. [Read more ...]
Priya Small has extensive experience in collaborative evaluation planning, instrument design, data collection, and grant writing and facilitation.Provided by
