Browse ACTION Resources
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General Guidelines for Conducting Interviews Carter McNamara's guidelines for conducting interviews, part of his Free Management Library and drawn from his book Field Guide to Consulting and Organizational Development. Author: McNamara, Carter Type: Websites & Online Tools Date: May 1, 2006 Be the first to review this resource! Web Link -
Getting Real About Real-Time Evaluation Evaluators Clare Nolan and Fontane Lo give a short introduction to Real-Time Evaluation (RTE) from a theoretical and practical standpoint. Additional issues covered in this article include:
- How is RTE different from traditional evaluation?
- Is a real-time evaluation right for me?
- What if my funder wants a traditional evaluation?
Author: Clare Nolan and Fontane Lo Type: Tipsheets & Paper Tools Date: Mar 29, 2012 Be the first to review this resource! Web Link -
Getting the Most from Evaluation In the June 6, 2007 issue the e-newsletter "Nonprofit Tools You Can Use" from the Fieldstone Alliance, Vince Hyman introduces an excerpt from the book Information Gold Mine: Innovative Uses of Evaluation by Paul Mattessich, et al. This excerpt discusses how a Colorado nonprofit, YouthZone, used its evaluation findings in a variety of ways. These uses included identifying infrastructure deficiencies, marketing, and informing changes to program design, among others. Author: Vince Hyman (Field Stone Alliance); Paul Mattessich, et al. Type: Newsletters & Periodicals Date: Jun 6, 2007 Be the first to review this resource! Web Link -
Grantcraft: Evaluation Technique Series To help grantmakers understand some newer evaluative approaches and weigh their advantages, GrantCraft has developing a collection of briefing notes. Each note explains the basics of one technique and answers some common questions about its use. A mini-case, based on one grantmaker’s experiences, is featured in each guide. Additional literature about the topic is also provided.
Participatory Action Research - Involving "All The Players" in Evaluation and Change
Author: Grantcraft Type: Workbooks & Guides Date: Jan 1, 2011 Be the first to review this resource! Web Link -
Guía para la Formulación de Marcos Lógicos y de Resultados de Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Sinopsis
Este documento presenta un resumen de la guía de CRS para formular marcos lógicos y de resultados.• Un marco lógico “es una forma sistemática y visual de presentar y compartir su visión de las relaciones entre los recursos con los que usted cuenta para operativizar su programa, las actividades que usted planifica y los cambios o resultados que espera alcanzar.”1 El proframe de CRS y el marco lógico del Departamento de Desarrollo Internacional del Reino Unido (DFID) son ejemplos de marcos lógicos.
Author: Carlisle J. Levine Type: Workbooks & Guides Date: Jan 31, 2007 Be the first to review this resource! Download (210.25 KB) -
Guidance for designing, monitoring and evaluating peacebuilding projects using theories of change Achieving peace is a lengthy, complex process that involves many actors and interventions, some of whom work toward peace, while others promote the continuation of conflict. Conventional development models do not typically contemplate working with stakeholders for whom recourse to violence is the norm. Opportunities for peacebuilding evolve with shifting conflict dynamics. In peacebuilding, one step forward is often followed by steps backward. This guide seeks to help practitioners address these challenges.
Author: Heidi Ober, Carlisle Levine, Cheyanne Church Type: Workbooks & Guides Date: Jun 2, 2012 Be the first to review this resource! Download (550.2 KB) -
Guidance Note #1: Introduction to Impact Evaluation This is the first guidance note in a four-part series of notes related to impact evaluation developed by InterAction with financial support from the Rockefeller Foundation.This first guidance note, Introduction to Impact Evaluation, provides an overview of impact evaluation, explaining how impact evaluation differs from – and complements – other types of evaluation, why impact evaluation should be done, when and by whom.
Author: Patricia J. Rogers Type: Workbooks & Guides Date: Mar 12, 2012 Be the first to review this resource! Download (1.68 MB) -
Guidance Note #2: Linking Monitoring and Evaluation to Impact Evaluation This is the second guidance note in a four-part series of notes related to impact evaluation developed by InterAction with financial support from the Rockefeller Foundation. This second guidance note, Linking Monitoring and Evaluation to Impact Evaluation, illustrates the relationship between routine M&E and impact evaluation – in particular, how both monitoring and evaluation activities can support meaningful and valid impact evaluation.
Author: Burt Perrin Type: Workbooks & Guides Date: Apr 16, 2012 Be the first to review this resource! Download (1.24 MB) -
Guidance Note #3: Introduction to Mixed Methods in Impact Evaluation Mixed methods (MM) evaluations seek to integrate social science disciplines with predominantly quantitative (QUANT) and predominantly qualitative (QUAL) approaches to theory, data collection, data analysis and interpretation. The purpose is to strengthen the reliability of data, validity of the findings and recommendations, and to broaden and deepen our understanding of the processes through which program outcomes and impacts are achieved, and how these are affected by the context within which the program is implemented.
Author: Michael Bamberger Type: Workbooks & Guides Date: Sep 5, 2012 Be the first to review this resource! Web Link -
Guidance Note #4: Use of Impact Evaluation Results This is the fourth guidance note in a four-part series of notes related to impact evaluation developed by InterAction with financial support from the Rockefeller Foundation.This fourth guidance note, Use of Impact Evaluation Results, highlights three themes crucial for effective utilization of evaluation results.
Author: David Bonbright Type: Research & Reports Date: Nov 7, 2012 Be the first to review this resource! Download (1.84 MB) -
Guide to Monitoring and Evaluating policy influence Author: Harry Jones Type: Workbooks & Guides Date: Feb 23, 2011 Be the first to review this resource! Download (171.99 KB) -
Guide to Strategic Planning The strategic planning section of Carter McNamara's Free Management Library covers the following topics:
- Recommended Approach
- Benefits;
- When Should Strategic Planning Be Done?
- Overviews
- Preparation for Strategic Planning
- Strategic Analysis
- Setting Strategic Direction
- Action Planning
- Writing and Communicating the Plan; and
- Monitoring, Evaluating and Deviating from the Plan.
Author: McNamara, Carter (ed.) Type: Websites & Online Tools Date: Jan 18, 2008 Be the first to review this resource! Web Link -
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 Point K Pick Be the first to review this resource! Download (229.52 KB) -
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 Pick 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) -
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) -
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 Program Evaluation for Public Health Programs: A Self-Study Guide This document is a “how to” guide for planning and implementing evaluation activities. The manual is based on CDC’s Framework for Program Evaluation in Public Health, and is intended to assist state, local, and community managers and staff of public health programs in planning, designing, implementing, and using the results of comprehensive evaluations in a practical way. Author: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Type: Workbooks & Guides Date: Jan 1, 2005
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Keystone's Feedback App This free and easy web-based tool from Keystone Accountability is a simple way of getting anonymous feedback from your partners on what they really think about your work. The application starts by asking you to choose from a standard list of questions, such as "How strongly would you recommend [your organization] to a colleague or friend?" Answers are on a scale of 1 to 10 or open-ended. You can also add questions. Next, you provide a list of respondents to receive the short survey. Keystone keeps data anonymous and confidential. Author: Keystone Accountability Type: Websites & Online Tools Date: Oct 31, 2009 Point K Pick Be the first to review this resource! Web Link -
LearnPhilanthropy LearnPhilanthropy's Knowledge Library is a resource for people who are new to grantmaking or those seeking new ideas and tools to improve their grantmaking practice. Here you will find essential learning and new research on a range of common issues and key challenges in philanthropy. Working with leading organizations across the field, LearnPhilanthropy regularly updates this centralized library with reports, tools, and other resources. Author: LearnPhilanthropy Type: Websites & Online Tools Date: Sep 23, 2014 Point K Pick Be the first to review this resource! Web Link -
Lessons in Evaluating Communications Campaigns: Five Case Studies This publication is the fourth report from the Communications Consortium Media Center's Media Evaluation Project. The author presents five case studies of completed campaign evaluations. The case studies represent an array of campaign types and evaluation approaches, and offer specific examples of evaluation responding to challenges. The five case studies are: S
Author: Coffman, Julia Type: Research & Reports Date: Jun 1, 2003 Be the first to review this resource! Download (212.52 KB)