Browse North America Resources
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How Charities Learn from Evaluating Themselves, and Tips for Measuring Results This article examines evaluation as a way for nonprofits to gain knowledge and deliver their services more effectively. Author: Roth, Kimberlee Type: Opinion (blog, editorial) Date: Jun 1, 2003 
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How to Climb the R Learning Curve Without Falling Off the Cliff: Advice from Novice, Intermediate, and Advanced R Users R is hotter than ever in the evaluation field as evaluators are looking for ways to improve their data management, analysis, and visualizations. First-time R users are asking themselves, Is R right for my evaluation work? Where do I start if I want to learn R? How long will it take to learn R? Evaluators without programming experience are often frustrated by R's steep learning curve. These novice R users are left wondering, How can I climb the R learning curve without falling off the cliff?
Author: Tony Fujs, Will Fenn, Ann Emery Type: Tipsheets & Paper Tools Date: Oct 19, 2013 
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How to Design a Monitoring and Evaluation Framework for a Policy Research Project This guidance note focuses on the designing and structuring of a monitoring and evaluation framework for policy research projects and programmes.
The primiary audience for this guidance note is people designing and managing monitoring and evaluation. However, it will be a useful tool for anyone involved in monitoring and evaluation activities.
The framework presented in this guidance note is intended to be used in a flexible manner depending on the purpose and characteristics of the research project.
Author: Methods Lab Type: Workbooks & Guides Date: Jan 1, 2016 Be the first to review this resource! Download (346.06 KB) -
How to Perform Evaluations and Evaluation Reports This Guide was prepared to assist evaluators faced with the task of preparing evaluation reports. A focus is brought to:
1) identifying what CIDA expects from evaluation reports,2) instilling a results–based approach to their preparation, and
3) enhancing the value–added of the final product.
Author: Canadian International Development Agency Type: Workbooks & Guides Date: Jan 1, 2002 Be the first to review this resource! Download (234.54 KB) -
How to Use Data Visualization to Better Tell Your Story Memos and metrics, emails and texts, newsletters and reports: Is your organization suffering from information overload? We consume 34 gigabytes, or 100,500 words, of information every day. Our brains are overwhelmed and struggling to keep up. Data visualization–or dataviz–is one of the strongest weapons against information overload. Author: Ann Emery Type: Opinion (blog, editorial) Date: Feb 1, 2014 Point K PickBe the first to review this resource! 
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IdeaEncore.com Knowledge sharing, made simple. Since you're reading this, you are obviously aware of Point K's free online resources. IdeaEncore takes a similar knowledge sharing concept and runs with it. Its goal is "nothing short of worldwide, sector-wide sharing of all kinds and types of nonprofit information, knowledge, activities and ideas."
Author: IdeaEncore Network Type: Websites & Online Tools Date: Jul 19, 2010 Point K PickBe the first to review this resource! Web Link -
Idealware.org The Idealware website is a treasure trove of time-saving reviews, tips, and research. Idealware publishes unbiased reviews of software for nonprofits. Experts from all over the nonprofit technology community contribute the benefit of their experience through articles and blog posts. If you're trying to compare software packages, this is an excellent place to start--they might have already done the research for you.
Author: Quinn, Laura S. et al. Type: Websites & Online Tools Date: Apr 4, 2008 Point K PickBe the first to review this resource! Web Link -
Identify an Issue's Life Cycle Stage and the Next Steps for Advocates This one-page tool outlines six stages of an issue's development. For each stage of issue development, the tool offers characteristics of the issue, general next steps to take, and specific actions to support those next steps. Author: Advocacy Institute Type: Tipsheets & Paper Tools Date: Sep 10, 2004 Be the first to review this resource! Download (63.37 KB) -
Identify an Organization’s Life Cycle Stage and the Next Steps for Advocates This one-page tool describes six stages of organizational development and offers suggestions for actions advocates should consider at each stage. Author: Advocacy Institute Type: Tipsheets & Paper Tools Date: Sep 10, 2004 Be the first to review this resource! 
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If You Build It, They Will Evaluate: Upping the Nonprofit Evaluation Game Johanna Morariu and Ann Emery discussed how nonprofit evaluation is progressing as a discipline with impact, highlighting findings from Innovation Network's State of Evaluation project about nonprofit evaluation practices and capacity. Author: Johanna Morariu and Ann Emery Type: Opinion (blog, editorial) Date: May 21, 2013 Be the first to review this resource! Web Link -
ILAC Brief 16: "Contribution analysis: An approach to exploring cause and effect" In this brief from Biodiversity International's Institutional Learning and Change Initiative (ILAC), John Mayne discusses the steps involved in contribution analysis (including the development of a theory of change), an evaluation approach that may be useful when others are not practical. More specifically, Mayne provides an example of an evaluation capacity building project for agricultural research organizations. Author: Mayne, John Type: Newsletters & Periodicals Date: May 1, 2008 Be the first to review this resource! Download (129.56 KB) -
Immunization Advocacy Goals Civil society has now rallied around a new Immunization Advocacy Goals framework, presenting a menu of advocacy options to improve access to vaccines around the world.
The framework’s five goals unite civil society – from implementers in Afghanistan, to research and development advocates in Australia – under shared goals that provide an intellectual underpinning for local, regional, and global advocacy on immunizations.Author: GAVI Alliance Civil Society Constituency Type: Workbooks & Guides Date: Dec 1, 2012
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Impact Evaluation in Practice This book provides an overview of impact evaluation from the perspective of the Wold Bank.
Author: Paul J. Gertler, Sebastian Martinez, Patrick Premand, Laura B. Rawlings, Christel M. J. Vermeersch Type: Workbooks & Guides Date: Jan 1, 2011 Be the first to review this resource! Download (3.06 MB) -
Indicators for Programming in Human Rights and Democratic Development: A Preliminary Study This paper is the result of a preliminary study on using indicators to track progress in human rights and democratic development efforts. The paper briefly outlines the experience of development organizations in measuring results in political development. It then examines some of the methodological issues relating to performance indicators, generally, and human rights and democratic development programming indicators, in particular. Author: Kapoor, Ilan Type: Research & Reports Date: Jul 1, 1996 Be the first to review this resource! Download (112.62 KB) -
Innovation for Successful Societies "Country Experiences Case Studies" The ISS Country Experiences case series chronicles reformers' efforts to gather support for reform and build institutions in a wide array of contexts. Cases start with a problem and a decision maker, then explore the options considered, implementation challenges, mid-course corrections, and results. The cases rest on interviews with reform leaders, advisers, and critics or monitors.
Case studies include a diverse number of policy focus areas including
Author: Princeton University Type: Research & Reports Date: Jan 1, 2010 Be the first to review this resource! Web Link -
Integrating Evaluative Capacity Into Organizational Practice: A Guide for Nonprofit & Philanthropic Organizations & Their Stakeh This publication, Integrating Evaluative Capacity into Organizational Practice, was developed in response to the continuing need expressed by nonprofit trainees to further assess and operationalize evaluative thinking. It extends information first provided in 2006 in a series of short, electronic articles called Evaluative Thinking Bulletins. The guidebook is intended to
answer the following questions:Author: Anita Baker and Beth Bruner Type: Workbooks & Guides Date: Jun 1, 2012 Be the first to review this resource! Download (1.87 MB) -
Intense Period Debrief Protocol The Intense Period Debrief is a data collection instrument for advocacy campaigns. It was developed in connection with Innovation Network's work with the Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform to capture the intense activity surrounding a policy window. This instrument complements other methodologies, filling gaps in information-gathering that can occur with other types of data collection instruments. Author: Innovation Network, Inc. Type: Tipsheets & Paper Tools Date: Feb 1, 2007 Be the first to review this resource! Download (136.31 KB) -
Internal vs. External Evaluation Few resources exist that thoroughly and accurately describe when to choose an internal and/or an external evaluator to conduct an evaluation. This one-page resource provides a helpful, concise comparison between internal and external evaluators
Author: UNICEF Type: Tipsheets & Paper Tools Date: May 3, 2005 Point K PickBe the first to review this resource! Web Link -
International Advocacy: Measuring performance and effectiveness This paper examines the assessment of two NGOs working in international advocacy and policy change: Oxfam Community Aid Abroad and the Foundation for Development Cooperation. The study suggests that organizations can use best practices and outcomes assessment to track the effectiveness of their advocacy work. Author: Kelly, Linda Type: Research & Reports Date: Oct 30, 2002 Be the first to review this resource! Download (216.18 KB) -
Intro to Logic Models A simple but informative introduction to Logic Models. What ithey are, why they are used, and how to build them. Author: Eric Graig Type: Presentation Slides Date: Dec 31, 2006 Be the first to review this resource! Web Link -
Introducing Program Logic Models A six-page summary of logic model concepts prepared by the Kellogg Foundation. Author: W.K. Kellogg Foundation Type: Workbooks & Guides Date: Mar 17, 2001
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Introduction to Before and After Action Reviews (BARs and AARs) The Before and After Action Review is a simple, straightforward set of questions to ask before and after an important piece of work — whether it is preparing for a meeting, engaging with board members or launching into a new initiative.Author: Fourth Quadrant Partners, LLC Type: Workbooks & Guides Date: Sep 16, 2020
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Introduction to Evaluation The Introduction to Evaluation Research presents an overview of what evaluation is and how it differs from social research generally. We also introduce several evaluation models to give you some perspective on the evaluation endeavor. Evaluation should not be considered in a vacuum. Here, we consider evaluation as embedded within a larger Planning-Evaluation Cycle.
Author: William M.K. Trochim Type: Websites & Online Tools Date: Oct 20, 2006
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Introduction to Program Evaluation Brief slideshow introducing basic concepts in Program Evaluation Author: Lizzette Rojas, PhD and Flordeliz Serpa, PhD Type: Presentation Slides Date: Jun 14, 2010
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Introduction to Program Evaluation This course is designed for people new to the field of program evaluation and is based on CDC’s Framework for Program Evaluation.
Program evaluation is an essential component of all TB control programs. Evaluation enables us to improve and enhance our programs and
better meet our goals for TB elimination. It provides evidence to make good decisions about a program or an initiative and also helps us be accountable to funders – including the CDC, other agencies and organizations.Author: Anne Powers, PhD Type: Presentation Slides Date: Nov 14, 2005 Be the first to review this resource! Web Link