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 …
How do you know when your organization is ready for evaluation? Implementing evaluation is something that takes time, planning, and support. All nonprofits can benefit from an evaluation. However, not all are ready for evaluation. This blog discusses 4 tips that will help your organization assess whether you are ready for an evaluation or can …
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. …
In Part One of this blog series we discussed six key challenges that can arise when conducting evaluations in the research world. Evaluation work is tough; mistakes can be made, big complications can arise and the challenges can feel overwhelming. Here we discuss solutions to the evaluation challenges that we highlighted in Part One, which …
In the world of research, evaluations are paramount. But what exactly is an evaluation? At REC we think of evaluations as systematic methods for collecting, analyzing, and using the information to understand the effectiveness and efficiency of projects, policies, and programs. In an ideal research world, evaluations are carried out perfectly and the results are …
In Part One of our two-part series on a new approach to evaluation, we found that defining exactly what equitable evaluation (EE) is has proven to be somewhat complicated. In this post we will highlight what some of the experts in this growing field are saying about the nuances of equity in the evaluation process …
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 …
Program Evaluation: Nonprofits’ Needs Versus Donor’s Requests, Part 2 Read More »
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 …
Program Evaluation: Nonprofits’ Needs Versus Donor’s Requests, Part 1 Read More »
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 …
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 …
