Browse Practitioners Resources
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Tools and Resources for Assessing Social Impact (TRASI) TRASI is a browsable and searchable database of approaches to impact assessment, guidelines for creating and conducting an assessment, and ready-to-use tools for measuring social change.
It features more than 150 assessment tools and resources, community networking services, and informational videos and podcasts.
Author: The Foundation Center Type: Websites & Online Tools Date: Jan 1, 2010 Be the first to review this resource! Web Link -
Top Ten Highlights from State of Evaluation2012 in the Nonprofit Sector In 2010, Innovation Network set out to answer the question: what is the state of nonprofit evaluation practice and capacity in the U.S.? We began the State of Evaluation project with a nationwide survey of nonprofits. In 2012, we launched the second report of the project. So what’s the state of evaluation among nonprofits? Here are the top ten highlights outlined in this post! Author: Johanna Morariu, Kat Athanasiades, and Ann Emery Type: Opinion (blog, editorial) Date: Nov 20, 2013 Be the first to review this resource! Web Link -
Transactions Transformations Translations: Metrics That Matter for Building, Scaling, and Funding Social Movements Metrics can help organizations articulate where they are going, what road they are taking, and what they expect to find along the way. They can help groups strike the right balance in the trade-offs above, allocating time and energy to be maximally effective. They can serve as a guide and tool for lifting up lessons for the field and for funders.
Author: Manuel Pastor, Jennifer Ito, Rachel Rosner Type: Research & Reports Date: Oct 1, 2011
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Understanding the Public Policy Landscape: Lessons from a Retrospective Evaluation (Presentation handout) This handout accompanied a presentation at the American Evaluation Association's annual conference in October 2013 in Washington, DC.
Author: Veena Pankaj and Kat Athanasiades, Innovation NetworkType: Tipsheets & Paper Tools Date: Oct 16, 2013 Be the first to review this resource! Download (387.9 KB) -
Understanding the Public Policy Landscape: Lessons from a Retrospective Evaluation (Presentation slides) These slides accompanied a presentation at the American Evaluation Association's annual conference in October 2013 in Washington, DC.
Author: Veena Pankaj and Kat Athanasiades, Innovation NetworkType: Presentation Slides Date: Oct 16, 2013 Be the first to review this resource! Download (1.41 MB) -
USAID Performance Monitoring and Evaluation TIPS TIPS
USAID's Performance Monitoring and Evaluation TIPS provide practical advice and suggestions to USAID managers and partners on issues related to performance monitoring and evaluation. These publications are supplemental references to the Automated Directive Service (ADS) Chapter 203 (pdf, 264kb).
Author: USAID Type: Workbooks & Guides Date: Jan 1, 2012 Be the first to review this resource! Web Link -
Use of Qualitative Interviews in Evaluation A guide in qualitative interviewing from Meg Sewell at the University of Arizona, Tucson and Children, Youth and Families Education Research Network (CYFERnet). Includes bibliography. Author: Sewell, Meg Type: Workbooks & Guides Date: Jun 1, 1998 Be the first to review this resource! Web Link -
User-Friendly Handbook for Mixed Method Evaluations A guide to evaluation specifically geared to grantees of the National Science Foundation’s Directorate for Education and Human Resources Author: Westat, Inc. Type: Workbooks & Guides Date: Aug 1, 1997
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Using Evaluation to Become an Effective Learning Organization Philanthropists have an obligation to learn. The best way to make smarter philanthropic investments over time—and get better results from those investments—is to generate good information about what’s working, what’s not working, and why. And evaluation is key in this process.
Author: Grantmakers for Effective Organizations and PhilanthroFiles Type: Research & Reports Date: Sep 24, 2014 Be the first to review this resource! Web Link -
Using Evaluation to Reduce the Burden of Asthma: a Web-based introduction to CDC’s Framework for Program Evaluation The National Asthma Control Program, in partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency, has created a four-part Webinar series on program evaluation basics. Nationally recognized experts present a general introduction to program evaluation; note challenges in conducting useful evaluations as well as methods for overcoming those challenges; and introduce the six steps of the CDC Framework for Program Evaluation using examples that are relevant to state partners of the National Asthma Control Program.
Author: Maureen Wilce Type: Websites & Online Tools Date: Dec 15, 2010 Be the first to review this resource! Web Link -
Using Focus Groups For Evaluation A guide from Mary Marczak & Meg Sewell at the University of Arizona on using focus groups to collect qualitative data for evaluation purposes. Author: Marczak, Mary and Sewell, Meg Type: Workbooks & Guides Date: Jan 1, 1998 Be the first to review this resource! Web Link -
Using Survey Research to Evaluate Communications Campaigns This is the second Working Brief from the Communication Consortium Media Center's Media Evaluation Project. The authors seek to provide advice to nonprofit organizations that may consider using survey research to evaluate the effectiveness of a communications campagin. The Working Brief outlines the questions a nonprofit needs to ask in the design stages of a communications campaign to maximize the benefit of a survey effort. Author: Belden Russonello & Stewart Type: Research & Reports Date: Nov 1, 2004 Be the first to review this resource! Download (140.12 KB) -
Utilization Focused Evaluation Checklist Utilization-Focused Evaluation begins with the premise that evaluations should be judged by their utility and actual use; therefore, evaluators should facilitate the evaluation process and design any evaluation with careful consideration of how everything that is done, from beginning to end, will affect use. Use concerns how real people in the real world apply evaluation findings and experience and learn from the evaluation process. The checklist is based on Essentials of Utilization-Focused Evaluation (Patton, 2012, Sage Publications). Author: Michael Quinn Patton Type: Research & Reports Date: Jan 1, 2013 Be the first to review this resource! Download (595.48 KB) -
Vision to Practice: Setting a New Course for Early Childhood Governance During the past decade, the federal, state, and local governments, along with early childhood experts and advocates, have been giving increasing attention to reducing the fragmentation, uneven quality, and inequity that characterize early childhood programs and services. A constant thread hroughout this work is the proposition that governance is an essential ingredient for building a system that can bolster all the important elements necessary for children's healthy development and learning.
Author: Stacie Goffin, Jana Martella, and Julia Coffman Type: Research & Reports Date: Jan 31, 2011 Be the first to review this resource! Download (245.55 KB) -
Voices for Change: A Taxonomy of Public Communications Campaigns and Their Evaluation Challenges This research report makes the case that communications campaigns cover a broad range of different types and characteristics, and can be differentiated along the axes of Purpose, Scope, and Maturity. It examines what communications campaigns that fall on different areas of these three axes look like, and how this positioning may affect the lead to distinct evaluation challenges and needs. Author: Berkeley Media Studies Group Type: Research & Reports Date: Nov 1, 2002 Be the first to review this resource! Download (643.93 KB) -
Volunteer Today VolunteerToday is an e-newsletter on volunteerism, published monthly by MBA Publishing. Each issue contains tips and strategies for management, training, recruitment and retention. Author: Volunteer Today Type: Newsletters & Periodicals Date: Jan 18, 2008 Be the first to review this resource! Web Link -
VolunteerMatch VolunteerMatch offers online services to connect nonprofits, volunteers and business leaders committed to civic engagement. VolunteerMatch is used by more than 40,000 nonprofit organizations. Author: VolunteerMatch Type: Websites & Online Tools Date: Jan 18, 2008 Be the first to review this resource! Web Link -
Wading Through the Data Swamp A tutorial that uses a case study approach to address evaluation program design, baselines, validity, evaluation instruments, and more. Author: SAMHSA Type: Workbooks & Guides Date: Jan 18, 2008 Be the first to review this resource! Web Link -
What is Success? This publication, which draws on VeneKlasen and Miller’s book A New Weave of Power, People & Politics, argues that a successful advocacy effort needs to produce change in five dimensions: Government, Private sector, Civil society, Political space and culture, and the Individual. The publication also offers an Advocacy Action and Impact Chart that can be used as a checklist planning and evaluation. The framework is shaped by the experience of long-time social justice advocates around the world who found that advocacy success needs to produce multidimensional change. Author: VeneKlasen, Lisa, and Miller, Valerie Type: Tipsheets & Paper Tools Date: Jun 14, 2006 Be the first to review this resource! Download (24.54 KB) -
What Makes an Effective Coalition This paper explores the evidence base for what makes an effective coalition with the assumption that understanding what makes them effective and how to assess and improve them will increase their effectiveness as an advocacy tool and reduce potential frustrations associated with operating in coalition.
Author: Jared Raynor, TCC Group Type: Research & Reports Date: Mar 1, 2011
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What's different about evaluating advocacy and policy change? In this article from The Evaluation Exchange, Julia Coffman highlights the differences inherent in evaluating advocacy and policy change, and offers recommendations for evaluators who work in the advocacy and policy change field. Author: Julia Coffman Type: Newsletters & Periodicals Date: Mar 1, 2007
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When Will We Ever Learn? This seminal report, which came out in 2006, raised important questions and recommendations for the international development and evaluation sectors. It questioned why, with billions of dollars spent on thousands of programs to improve health, education and other social sector outcomes in the developing world each year, is there little evidence and data to back up development results.
Author: Center for Global Development Type: Research & Reports Date: May 31, 2006 Point K Pick
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Writing a Media Analysis This publication is the third Working Brief from the Communications Consortium Media Center's Media Evaluation Project. The brief discusses key questions that can be answered by performing a media analysis, such as who the main spokespeople are around a particular topic, what topics are being covered in the media, and which reporters are writing about particular issues. Additionally, the authors provide an overview of media analysis methodology that a nonprofit organization could use to structure an in-house media analysis. Author: Douglas Gould and Company Type: Research & Reports Date: Oct 1, 2004 Be the first to review this resource! Download (72.53 KB)