Browse practices Resources
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#14ntcdataviz: DataViz! Tips, Tools, and How-tos for Visualizing Your Data [Slides] Presentation by Ann K. Emery, Johanna Morariu, and Andrew Means at the 2014 Nonprofit Technology Conference in Washington, DC. Author: Ann K. Emery and Johanna Morariu Type: Presentation Slides Date: Mar 13, 2014 Point K Pick Be the first to review this resource! Web Link -
#JAGUnity2014: DataViz for Philanthropists! Tips, Tools, and How-Tos for Communicating Better with Charts [Handout] This resource handout accompanied a presentation by Innovation Network's Johanna Morariu and Ann K. Emery for the Joint Affinity Group's Unity Conference on June 6, 2014 in Washington, DC. Author: Johanna Morariu and Ann K. Emery, Innovation Network Type: Tipsheets & Paper Tools Date: Jun 6, 2014 Be the first to review this resource! Download (255.28 KB) -
#JAGUnity2014: DataViz for Philanthropists! Tips, Tools, and How-Tos for Communicating Better with Charts [Slides] Presentation by Innovation Network's Johanna Morariu and Ann K. Emery at the Joint Affinity Groups Unity Conference, held June 6, 2014 in Washington, DC. Author: Johanna Morariu and Ann K. Emery, Innovation Network Type: Presentation Slides Date: Jun 6, 2014 Point K Pick Be the first to review this resource! Web Link -
2012 eNonprofit Benchmarks Study: An Analysis of Online Messaging, Fundraising, Advocacy, Social Media and Mobile Metrics... Note: This resource is free, but you must supply your name and email to download it from the authors' website.
2012 eNonprofit Benchmarks Study: An Analysis of Online Messaging, Fundraising, Advocacy, Social Media and Mobile Metrics for Nonprofit Organizations
Author: M+R Strategic Services; Nonprofit Technology Network Type: Research & Reports Date: Jan 1, 2012 Be the first to review this resource! Download (2.25 MB) -
A Guide to Actionable Measurement Staff members from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation discuss the principles and practices they use to make decisions about data collection, analysis, and reporting. Their approach, "actionable measurement," emphasizes the collection of information for specific decisions or actions.
UPDATE: We had a broken link here. It was updated on Jan. 13, 2011.
Author: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Type: Research & Reports Date: May 10, 2010
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A Practical Guide to Documenting Influence and Leverage In Making Connections Communities How does one document influence (change in policies, systems, practices and/or opinions that support one’s strategies) and leverage (investment by public and private funders in one’s strategies)?
Author: Organizational Research Services Type: Research & Reports Date: Feb 12, 2007
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Advocacy by UK-Based Development NGOs This article from Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly provides an overview of the advocacy activities of non-governmental organizations based in the United Kingdom, with a focus on issues of legitimacy, representation, and accountability. Using material from a recently completed research project, this study examines the growing advocacy work of UK NGOs, the position advocacy holds in their work, their efforts to collaborate, their relationships with donors, and their evaluation practices. Author: Hudson, Alan Type: Newsletters & Periodicals Date: Sep 1, 2002 Be the first to review this resource! Download (129.46 KB) -
Are We There Yet? A Communications Evaluation Guide Produced by Asibey Consulting for The Communications Network, this report was created for philanthropic organizations and nonprofits seeking to evaluate and improve their communications. The authors conducted surveys and interviews to examine current practices in communications evaluation. This document includes several worksheets to help readers take action on the report's recommendations. Author: Asibey Consulting and The Communications Network Type: Research & Reports Date: Jan 1, 2008
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Best Practices for Advocacy The ACTION Project, a group of partners in seven countries that advocate for tuberculosis control, produced this document to highlight lessons learned from its advocacy successes. Note: This is not an evaluation focused publication, but elements of it (e.g., Chapter 2) do relate to evaluation. Author: ACTION: Advocacy to Control Tuberculosis Internationally Type: Workbooks & Guides Date: Nov 1, 2007
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Best Practices for Asking Questions about Sexual Orientation on Surveys In 2003 the Ford Foundation began funding a multi-year project that sought to increase the quantity and quality of data on gay, lesbian, and bisexual people, and, by extension, on heterosexual people. Over a five-year period, many researchers participated in the expert panel funded by the grant, thus contributing to the knowledge embodied in this report.
Author: Sexual Minority Assessment Research Team (SMART) Type: Research & Reports Date: Nov 1, 2009 Be the first to review this resource! Download (923.87 KB) -
Best Practices for Asking Questions to Identify Transgender and Othe r Gender Minority Re spo n d e n t s o n P opu l ati o n-Ba In 2011, the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law convened a multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional group of experts to increase population-based data about transgender people and other gender minorities by advancing the development of sex and gender-related measures (i.e., sex assigned at birth, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status) for population-based surveys, with a particular consideration for publicly-funded data collection efforts.
Author: Gender Identity in U.S. Surveillance (GenIUSS) group Type: Research & Reports Date: Sep 1, 2014 Be the first to review this resource! Download (1.41 MB) -
Characteristics of An Effective Stakeholder Participatory Process Creating opportunities for diverse stakeholders to engage in meaningful dialogue is often challenging. Stakeholders have different reasons for participating and have varying knowledge about the topics under discussion. A lack of trust in or understanding of the process and each other can also hinder participatory practices. The characteristics listed in this resource page show how to address these challenges and ensure and effective participatory process.
Author: Abinader Group Type: Websites & Online Tools Date: Jan 1, 2013 Be the first to review this resource! Download (575.86 KB) -
Data Visualization Approaches for Program Evaluation (and Beyond) Simone Parrish writes, "When you hear the phrase “program evaluation findings,” are you bored already? Most people—even within the evaluation field—perceive evaluation as dry. The major output of an evaluation is often a weighty report that gets read once (if at all) before it begins its long-term dust-collecting destiny.
Author: Simone Parrish Type: Opinion (blog, editorial) Date: Apr 29, 2014 Point K Pick Be the first to review this resource! Web Link -
Effective Advocacy Evaluation: The Role of Funders Johanna Morariu and Kathleen Brennan of Innovation Network produced this article for The Foundation Review to discuss the role of grantmakers in advocacy evaluation. The authors provide several recommendations based on their research into the practices of both advocacy grantmakers and grantees. Author: Johanna Gladfelter Morariu and Kathleen Brennan, Innovation Network Type: Research & Reports Date: Oct 1, 2009 Be the first to review this resource! Download (728.77 KB) -
Evaluability Assessment to Improve Public Health Policies, Programs, and Practices This article describes how evaluability assessment has benefited public health and could do so in future. We describe the rationale, history, and evolution of evaluability assessment. We outline the steps in the method and distinguish it from related concepts. We then illustrate how evaluability assessment can benefit public health in five ways:
Author: Laura C. Leviton, Laura Kettel Khan, Debra Rog, Nicola Dawkins, and David Cotton Type: Research & Reports Date: Jul 1, 2010 Be the first to review this resource! Download (380.53 KB) -
Evaluating Social Innovation In this paper, the authors explore ways that common evaluation approaches and practices constrain innovation and offer lessons about an emerging evaluation approach—developmental evaluation—which supports the adaptation that is so crucial to innovation. For what kinds of grantmaking strategies should funders consider using developmental evaluation? What organizational conditions are necessary for it to work? How can grantmakers grapple with the challenging questions that developmental evaluation raises about innovation, accountability, rigor, and adaptation? Author: Hallie Preskill and Tanya Beer Type: Research & Reports Date: Aug 1, 2012 Point K Pick Be the first to review this resource! Download (341.7 KB) -
Evaluation A Beginners Guide This document aims to present a user-friendly approach to the process of evaluation. It is
particularly targeted at those involved in programs working towards the introduction of human
rights concepts and values in educational curricula and teaching practices, who are initiating an
evaluation for the first time. It contains practical suggestions on how to effectively organize the
evaluation of such programs in order to learn from the work implemented so far.Author: Amnesty International Type: Workbooks & Guides Date: Jun 30, 1999
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Evaluation of Nine Non-Governmental Human Rights Organisations This evaluation report examines nine organizations working in the international human rights field with support from the Dutch government. It is one sub-study of a larger evaluation of Dutch human rights policy. The sub-study used a custom evaluation framework, consisting of a general section and sections on international advocacy work, publications and information, and specific program activities. The report concludes that all nine organizations have been largely successful, but that there is still room for improvement, "especially in the field of monitoring and evaluation practice Author: Landman, Todd and Abraham, Meghna Type: Research & Reports Date: Feb 1, 2004 Be the first to review this resource! Download (666.96 KB) -
Evaluation Principles and Practices: An Internal Working Paper The purpose of this document is to advance the Foundation’s existing work so that our evaluation practices become more consistent across the organization. We hope to create more common understanding of our philosophy, purpose, and expectations regarding evaluation as well as clarify staff roles and available support. With more consistency and shared understanding, we expect less wheel re-creation across program areas, greater learning from each other’s efforts, and faster progress in designing meaningful evaluations and applying the results.
Author: Fay Twersky & Karen Lindblom Type: Research & Reports Date: Jan 22, 2013 Be the first to review this resource! Download (1.42 MB) -
Evaluation Resource Guide This listing and description of resources has been developed to help Department staff evaluate and monitor the performance of Department programs. It also is intended to be useful for county staff and other service providers. Resources in the Guide range from evaluation manuals providing basic information to books with detailed information on specific topics such as logic models, data analysis or sampling. Also included are resources on identifying effective programs/best practices, evaluation standards, and contracting for evaluation.
Author: Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) Type: Workbooks & Guides Date: May 1, 2010 Be the first to review this resource! Download (223.14 KB) -
Evaluation to Support Strategic Learning: Principles and Practices Evaluation that supports strategic learning is an area that the Center for Evaluation Innovation is helping to develop and grow. Working with organizations and groups to integrate evaluative thinking into their strategic decision making and bring timely data to the table for reflection and use has tremendous potential as an approach to evaluation, particularly for complex and dynamic social change strategies.
Author: Julia Coffman & Tanya Beer Type: Research & Reports Date: Jun 1, 2011 Point K Pick Be the first to review this resource! Download (106.64 KB) -
Evaluation: Finding a Common Ground [Slides] While common frameworks and approaches for evaluation have been developed across multiple fields, regional associations for grantmakers have, for the most part, been left out of this dialogue.The purpose of this session is to highlight the common threads that distinguish regional associations from other organizational genres in the social sector. Regional associations promote effectiveness in philanthropy by providing grantmakers with opportunities to engage with others, share ideas, and generate best practices that support both the individual and collective impact of philanthropy.
Author: Veena Pankaj and Ann K. Emery Type: Presentation Slides Date: Jul 30, 2013 Be the first to review this resource! Web Link -
Excel Elbow Grease: How to Fool Excel into Making (Pretty Much) Any Chart You Want In October 2013, Ann K. Emery presented How to fool Excel into making (pretty much) any chart you want at the American Evaluation Association's annual conference in Washington, D.C. She shared four strategies for communicating data more clearly in Excel: 1) Adjust default settings until charts pass the Squint Test; 2) Create two charts in one; 3) Create invisible sections of charts; and 4) Exploit the stock chart types, for example, by making timelines from stacked bar charts or by making dot plots from scatter plots. Author: Ann K. Emery Type: Presentation Slides Date: Oct 17, 2013 Point K Pick Be the first to review this resource! Web Link -
From Insight to Action: New Directions in Foundation Evaluation This report highlights emerging approaches to evaluation in the field of philanthropy that increase the effectiveness of both foundations and their grantees. Author: FSG Social Impact Advisors Type: Research & Reports Date: Apr 1, 2007 Be the first to review this resource! Download (3.67 MB) -
How Can We Help Out Grantees Strengthen Their Capacity for Evaluation? There is a widespread and growing recognition in the nonprofit sector about the importance of evaluation--not only for measuring impact, but also for improving programs and better serving communities. While grantmakers generally see evaluation as necessary, most are not yet investing enough resources in this area. In 2014, nearly three quarters of nonprofits reported that their funders "rarely or never" fund impact measurement costs.
Author: Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO) Type: Research & Reports Date: Aug 1, 2015 Be the first to review this resource! Download (728.72 KB)