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Program Evaluation: Nonprofits’ Needs Versus Donor’s Requests, Part 2

Leave a Comment / Program Evaluation / Annette

As discussed in Part 1, there are often differences in the ways that donors view program evaluation when compared to how nonprofits wish to use evaluation (Zinn, 2017). Donors view evaluation as an accountability measure and prefer evaluations that are rigorous, conducted by third-party experts, and focus on long-term outcomes (York, 2005). However, nonprofits prefer […]

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Program Evaluation: Nonprofits’ Needs Versus Donor’s Requests, Part 1

2 Comments / Program Evaluation / Annette

Why do you evaluate your programs? To provide accountability to your donors? To measure what you’re doing right or wrong? To gain access to more funding? Well, if you work for a nonprofit organization, you probably identified with several of these goals. However, your reasons for conducting a program evaluation may differ dramatically from that

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Tips for Conducting Qualitative Interviews

Leave a Comment / Quality Research / Annette

Think for a minute about your best job interview experience. What made it stand out? The respect, the warmth, the empathy, the knowledge gained and shared? All of these are elements of a successful job interview and they are also critical elements of conducting a successful qualitative interview. A qualitative interview is a method of

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An Informal Evaluation of 2017

Leave a Comment / Data Practices, Program Evaluation, Quality Research / Annette

It’s hard to believe that 2017 is already over! REC was involved in so many different kinds of research and evaluation projects this past year. From early childhood education programs to evaluating services for older adults, REC was able to apply our quality research and evaluation skills to help the nonprofit community. As founder and

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Two different color bags with zipper used to illustrate the concept of different data collection methods

4 Data Collection Methods – Pros and Cons

2 Comments / Quality Research / Annette

It’s important to understand that there are pros and cons of each type of data collection method. To determine which strategy is best for you, first review your priorities, and decide what kind of data you want to obtain at the end of your collection. Then ask yourself a few key questions to help hone

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Desktop computer screen showing data collection

4 Data Collection Methods

2 Comments / Quality Research / Annette

Once you understand the difference between qualitative and quantitative data, it is helpful to understand the various methods you can use to gather your data. Data collection methods are tools that help organizations collect quality data. Organizations can be confident in their findings when these tools are applied accurately. The list below provides the most

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What is Quantitative and Qualitative Data?

2 Comments / Data Practices, Program Evaluation, Quality Research, Surveys / Annette

Two Types of Data When people discuss data, they typically describe it as either quantitative or qualitative. Yet, what is quantitative data? What is qualitative data? How are these two types of data different? Is one type of data better to use than the other? Why should this topic matter to purpose-driven organizations? This blog

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Collecting Quality Data – 4 Questions

2 Comments / Data Practices, Evaluation Benefits, Program Evaluation, Quality Research / Annette

So you are excited to begin collecting quality data for your organization. That’s great! The information you collect has the power to demonstrate your impact, inform decisions, and improve your programs. Yet, what do you need to ask yourself before you get started? There are a number of methods to collect quality data. Some data

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6 Tips to Collect Quality Data

3 Comments / Quality Research / Annette

When organizations collect poor data, they get poor results. Too often, I’ve seen examples of bad surveys, forms, and questionnaires that at best contain some useful information and at worst generate meaningless information. What’s the point of collecting data when it is incomplete, inaccurate, and riddled with error? How can organizations make good decisions when

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Article Credibility Checklist

7 Comments / Data Practices, Evaluation Resources, Quality Research / Annette

After writing my last blog post, I realized it may still be challenging to determine which online articles represent fact or fluff. So, I created an article credibility checklist! Use this tool to measure the credibility of articles that discuss findings from research studies. This tool will help you distinguish between trusted and poor-quality sources

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