Identifying and showcasing the content that matters most is crucial for effective communication in your organization. This blog post provides five tips to communicate your organization’s impact as part of your communication strategy. Tip #1: Know Your Audience Before drafting an impact report or email campaign, make sure you know your audience. Here are some […]
5 Tips for Communicating Your Impact Read More »
The Decision Should your organization hire an external evaluator or evaluation firm? The answer is that it depends. When to Work with Internal Staff Some nonprofits are poised to conduct evaluation internally. These organizations have qualified staff who know how to conduct evaluations, design surveys, collect data, analyze findings, and report results. Often,
When to Hire an External Evaluator – A Checklist! Read More »
Important Questions How do you know your organization is making a difference? How do you decide what programs or services to offer? What do you tell your funders? How do you know your organization is ready to evaluate? Program Evaluation Informs Decisions These are all important questions and ones that nonprofit leaders grapple with daily. Whether you
Program Evaluation Helps Nonprofits Read More »
Evaluation is a powerful tool for nonprofit organizations. In fact, evaluation is the “secret sauce” that differentiates organizations that thrive versus those that only survive. Additionally, evaluation can be a catalyst for positive change. For example, REC worked with a client for three years. At first, there were some reservations about data and using evaluation.
6 Benefits of Evaluation Read More »
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
An Informal Evaluation of 2017 Read More »
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
4 Data Collection Methods – Pros and Cons Read More »
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
What is Quantitative and Qualitative Data? Read More »
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
Collecting Quality Data – 4 Questions Read More »
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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As an organizational leader, you could ask endless questions. How do you know that what you are doing is making a difference? What can you do better? Which programs are making the most significant impact? What should I do next? How can we differentiate ourselves from our competitors? Taking the time to answer your questions
Demystifying Research and Evaluation Read More »
