Browse reflection Resources
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Seeing the Forest (Beyond the Trees): Learning Across the Experiences of Seven Advocacy Evaluators [Slides] Advocacy and policy change evaluation continues to evolve and mature--from a fledgling field a few years ago to the flourishing field of today. Evaluators are advancing as well, developing an increasingly robust collective understanding about what works for advocacy evaluation. In this session a diverse group of seven advocacy evaluators explored and synthesized observations drawn from an array of real-world experiences. Panelists spoke to targeted questions, weaving in their wealth of experience and examples. Author: Johanna Morariu, Jara Dean-Coffey, Tom Kelly, Claire Hutchings, David Devlin Foltz, Robin Kane, Jared Raynor, Anne Gienapp, Type: Presentation Slides Date: Oct 19, 2013 Be the first to review this resource! Web Link -
Social Movements and Philanthropy: How Foundations Can Support Movement Building Building on research conducted for the California Endowment, this article describes five core movement-building elements and provides a framework for activities that foundations can support to foster movement building. Movement building presents unique challenges to foundations. Because movements, by definition, must be driven by the people who are most affected, foundations cannot determine the goals and timetables of a movement. Foundation investments in movements are just that – investments for the long term. Author: Barbara Masters, M.A., and Torie Osborn, M.B.A. Type: Newsletters & Periodicals Date: Oct 2, 2010 Be the first to review this resource! Download (326.55 KB) -
Social Research Update: Photo-Interviewing for Research Rosalind Hurthworth offers insight into multiple uses of photography in evaluation. Author: Hurworth, Rosalind Type: Research & Reports Date: Mar 1, 2003 Be the first to review this resource! Download (156.06 KB) -
Sourcebook for Evaluating Global and Regional Partnership Programs: Indicative Principles and Standards The purpose of the indicative principles and standards contained in this Sourcebook is to help improve the independence and quality of program-level evaluations of GRPPs in order to enhance the relevance and effectiveness of the programs. The principal audiences for the Soucebook are the governing bodies and management units of GRPPs, as well as professional evaluators involved in the evaluation of these programs. Author: Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) Type: Workbooks & Guides Date: Jan 1, 2007 Be the first to review this resource! Download (833.37 KB) -
State of Evaluation - Russian translation The Project: Nonprofits hear a lot of talk about evaluation these days—metrics and measurements, indicators and impact, efficiency and effectiveness. Everyone, from donors to board members, seems to want evaluation results. But there was a big knowledge gap around evaluation practice: What are nonprofits really doing to evaluate their work? How are they really using evaluation results? What support are they getting? What else do they need?
Author: Innovation Network Type: Research & Reports Date: Feb 3, 2011 Be the first to review this resource! Download (6.78 MB) -
State of Evaluation 2012: Evaluation Practice and Capacity in the Nonprofit Sector The State of Evaluation 2012 report marks the second time Innovation Network has surveyed the U.S. nonprofit field to learn about evaluation practices and capacities! To learn more about the project, visit www.stateofevaluation.org. Author: Johanna Morariu, Katherine Athanasiades, and Ann K. Emery of Innovation Network, Inc. Type: Research & Reports Date: Oct 1, 2012 Point K Pick Be the first to review this resource! Download (2.63 MB) -
State of Evaluation in Colorado's Non-Profit Sector This report presents findings and recommendations from a research project to understand the state of evaluation in Colorado’s nonprofit sector. Adopting a national survey conducted by the Innovation Network, a Washington DCbased nonprofit evaluation, research and consulting firm, in addition to a set of in-depth interviews, the following study examined: 1. The role of evaluation in nonprofit organizations in Colorado; 2. The challenges to implementing evaluation practices; and 3. Recommendations to support or enhance evaluation practices Author: Phillip Chung and Melanie Tran Type: Research & Reports Date: Aug 31, 2015 Be the first to review this resource! Download (2.38 MB) -
State of Evaluation in the Social Sector Measurement, evaluation, and learning are hotter than ever in the social sector. Foundations and nonprofits are focused on answering the question What difference are we making? And the field of evaluation has advanced in promising ways, developing meaningful evaluation approaches to better fit the latest philanthropic and nonprofit strategies. Author: Johanna Morariu and Will Fenn Type: Templates & Samples Date: Mar 21, 2013 Be the first to review this resource! Web Link -
State of the Field: Updated, Longitudal Findings about Nonprofit and Philanthropic Evaluation Practices and Capacities [Slides] The State of Evaluation project provides valuable insight to all those who work in and with the nonprofit sector. The project is designed to collect longitudinal data to document evaluation trends in the U.S. nonprofit sector, including how nonprofits staff evaluation, how evaluation is funded, why evaluation is undertaken, how evaluation results are used, and much more. This year marks the beginning of longitudinal data and analysis, drawing from the first iteration of the project in 2010. Author: Johanna Morariu Type: Presentation Slides Date: Oct 27, 2012 Be the first to review this resource! Web Link -
Statistics Every Writer Should Know Simple explanations of basic statistics written for reporters and writers, but useful for everyone who needs to work with statistics and evaluation reporting. Author: Niles, Robert Type: Websites & Online Tools Date: Jan 18, 2008 Be the first to review this resource! Web Link -
Statistics Tutorial Offered at a number of international workshops, this PowerPoint tutorial aims to help you develop a 'gut feeling' for key statistical concepts, concentrating on meaning rather than formulae. Author: Dix, Alan Type: Presentation Slides Date: Jan 18, 2008
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Strengthening Anti-Hunger Advocacy in California: Evaluation of the California Nutrition Initiative 1998-2001 MAZON launched the California Nutrition Initiative (CNI) in 1998. The CNI’s purpose was "to improve the nutritional health and well-being of low-income Californians by strengthening the capacity of the state’s non-profit and anti-hunger network." This evaluation report on the projects first four years identifies strategies that could be used to replicate MAZON's successes, including network development and awareness-building. Author: Leventhal/Kline Management Inc. Type: Research & Reports Date: Jun 1, 2003 Be the first to review this resource! Download (1.32 MB) -
Success and Failure in the Evaluation Process What do the terms "success" and "failure" really mean in the philanthropic world? Funders have taken different approaches to learning from initiatives that haven't gone quite as they had hoped. Some funders want to learn from their mistakes, some provide technical assistance to lagging grantees, and some want to focus their light on "bright spots" and grantee successes.
Author: Kat Athanasiades Type: Presentation Slides Date: Mar 1, 2015 Be the first to review this resource! Web Link -
Supporting Civic Advocacy: Strategic approaches for donor-supported civic advocacy programs This 59-page draft document is "a reflection of USAID’s experience in advocacy. Compiled in consultation with the top advocacy trainers, it distills the best practices and lessons learned in advocacy programming." In the advocacy evaluation section, the publication offers long term performance measures, a discussion of levels of change, and appropriate performance indicators. Author: USAID, Office of Democracy and Governance Type: Research & Reports Date: Dec 7, 2001 Be the first to review this resource! Download (59.67 KB) -
Telling Your Story: A Guide to Preparing Advocacy Case Studies This guidebook was created to encourage activists to record their stories. The authors believe that it is beneficial for advocates to communicate experiences that will stimulate and teach others working toward social change. The guidebook clarifies the "hows and whys" of writing an advocacy case study. The body of the guidebook is made up of four sections: the reasons for writing a case study, methods for selecting a focus,writing hints, and what to do with the finished product. Author: Advocacy Institute Type: Workbooks & Guides Date: Aug 28, 2001 Be the first to review this resource! Download (268.47 KB) -
Terms, Tips, & Trends: Evaluation Essentials for Nonprofits (Mindmap) Are you ready to launch an evaluation, but not sure where to start? Wondering how much you should budget for it, or who should be involved? Although 90% of nonprofits are engaged in evaluation, it continues to be one of the most misunderstood and mysterious functions of nonprofit management. In this Evaluation 101-level webinar, Innovation Network's team introduced key evaluation concepts, approaches, and methods.
Author: Johanna Morariu and Ann Emery, Innovation Network Type: Tipsheets & Paper Tools Date: Sep 30, 2013 Point K Pick Be the first to review this resource! Download (316.27 KB) -
Terms, Tips, & Trends: Evaluation Essentials for Nonprofits (Slides) Are you ready to launch an evaluation, but not sure where to start? Wondering how much you should budget for it, or who should be involved? Although 90% of nonprofits are engaged in evaluation, it continues to be one of the most misunderstood and mysterious functions of nonprofit management. In this Evaluation 101-level webinar, Innovation Network's team introduced key evaluation concepts, approaches, and methods.
Author: Johanna Morariu and Ann Emery, Innovation Network Type: Presentation Slides Date: Oct 3, 2013 Point K Pick Be the first to review this resource! Web Link -
The 6 D's of Needs Assessments This handy one-page tipsheet outlines the six D's that need to be answered for a successful Needs Assessment:
- Deficit
- Develop
- Describe
- Desires
- Duplication
- Demand
Author: Community Soplutions Type: Tipsheets & Paper Tools Date: Jan 1, 2012 Be the first to review this resource! Download (1.47 MB) -
The Challenge of Assessing Policy and Advocacy Activities The paper is designed to outline an approach to policy change evaluation grounded in the experience of experts and foundation colleagues. (See Appendix A for the research methodology.) This paper first posits three key priorities in evaluating policy change work, drawn from interviews with grantees and staff from The California Endowment on their needs concerning policy change evaluation. It also discusses the challenges inherent in monitoring and assessing these types of grants.
Author: Commissioned by The California Endowment. Researched and Written by Blueprint Research and Design, Inc. Type: Research & Reports Date: Oct 1, 2005 Be the first to review this resource! Download (2.84 MB) -
The Challenge of Assessing Policy and Advocacy Activities Part II After "The Challenge of Assessing Policy and Advocacy Activities" was published, the California Endowment Fund vetted the report findings and determined how to implement its recommendaions by convening a small group of foundation staff, grantees, and evaluators to engage in a series of discussions on the main themes of the report.
Author: Researched and written by Blueprint Research & Design, Inc. Type: Research & Reports Date: Oct 1, 2006 Be the first to review this resource! Download (1.51 MB) -
The Challenge of Assessing Policy and Advocacy Activities: Part II - Moving from Theory to Practice This report synthesizes the results of a series of discussions that were a response to Blueprint's October 2005 report, "The Challenge of Assessing Policy and Advocacy Activities: Strategies for a Prospective Evaluation Approach" (q.v.) The discussions centered on three key themes of the 2005 publication:
- developing a theory of change,
- defining benchmarks and indicators and collecting data, and
- using findings.
This report is organized into two broad sections:
Author: Blueprint Research & Design Type: Research & Reports Date: Oct 1, 2006
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The Colorado Trust's Advocacy Funding Strategy: Lessons Learned for Funders of Advocacy Efforts In an effort to help advance the field of advocacy and public policy funding, The Colorado Trust published this evaluation report as a joint effort between funder and evaluator, describing where they saw success, where they saw failure, and lessons learned along the way.
Author: Nancy Csuti & Ehren Reed Type: Research & Reports Date: May 1, 2012 Be the first to review this resource! Download (576.26 KB) -
The Dataviz Extravaganza Johanna Morariu and Ann Emery were guest participants on a recent Story By Numbers podcast where they provided a user-friendly introduction to Data Visualization. They introduce the listener to DataViz and discuss ways to choose the right kind of chart for different types of data. Author: Johanna Morariu and Ann Emery Type: Websites & Online Tools Date: Sep 11, 2012 Be the first to review this resource! Web Link -
The Guide to Community Presentive Services The Guide to Community Preventive Services is a free resource to help you choose programs and policies to improve health and prevent disease in your community. Systematic reviews are used to answer these questions:
- Which program and policy interventions have been proven effective?
- Are there effective interventions that are right for my community?
- What might effective interventions cost; what is the likely return on investment?
Author: Office of Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services (OSELS) Type: Websites & Online Tools Date: Mar 22, 2010 Be the first to review this resource! Web Link -
The Urban Institute Series on Outcome Management for Nonprofit Organizations The Urban Institute Series on Outcome Management for Nonprofit Organizations contains easy to read, practical guides for looking at outcomes for nonprofit programs. The series includes:
Author: Various Type: Research & Reports Date: Dec 4, 2009 Point K Pick
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