Browse program planning Resources
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Taking Stock: A Practical Guide to Evaluating Your Own Programs A manual from Horizon Research providing an overview of program evaluation. Author: Bond, Sally L., et al. Type: Workbooks & Guides Date: Jun 1, 1997 Be the first to review this resource! Download (241.82 KB) -
Ten Strategies for Enhancing Multicultural Competency in Evaluation Teresa Boyd Cowles of the Connecticut Department of Education offers 10 strategies evaluators can use to improve their cultural competence for evaluation. Author: Teresa Boyd Cowles Type: Newsletters & Periodicals Date: Jun 30, 2005 Point K Pick Be the first to review this resource! Web Link -
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 Challenge of Assessing Policy and Advocacy Activities: Strategies for a Prospective Evaluation Approach This publication begins with an overview of the advocacy evaluation field, noting challenges to evaluating advocacy, the current state of advocacy evaluation, and guiding principles for policy change evaluation. The report goes on to outline a "prospective evaluation approach" which (in contrast to a retrospective approach) allows evaluation to become a management and planning tool. The prospective advocacy evaluation approach involves four steps:
Author: Blueprint Research & Design Type: Workbooks & Guides Date: Oct 1, 2006
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The Challenge of Evaluating Complex Interventions: A Framework for Evaluating Media Advocacy This article in Health Education Research presents a framework for evaluating media advocacy. The framework is intended as a planning resource for media advocates, and as an aid to fundraising. The authors suggest a number of possible indicators for media, public opinion, policy, community, and advocacy. Author: Stead, Martine; Hastings, Gerard; and Douglas Eadie Type: Newsletters & Periodicals Date: Jun 1, 2002 Be the first to review this resource! Web Link -
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 Community Builder’s Approach to Theory of Change: A Practical Guide to Theory Development The Community Builder’s Approach to Theory of Change is a practical guide about theory of change development, and includes a toolbox of examples. Author: Andrea A. Anderson, Ph.D. Type: Workbooks & Guides Date: Jan 1, 2000 Be the first to review this resource! Download (532.38 KB) -
The Evaluation Checklist Project Th site provides Author: The Evaluation Center of Western Michigan University Type: Templates & Samples Date: Jun 30, 2010 Point K Pick
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The Grantmaker’s Role in Theory of Change Innovation Network developed these three introductory evaluation documents as part of Building Nonprofit Capacity to Evaluate, Learn, and Grow Impact, a workshop we presented in partnership with Grantmakers for Effective Organizations' Scaling What Works initiative. Author: Johanna Morariu, Innovation Network, Inc. Type: Research & Reports Date: Apr 1, 2012 Point K Pick Be the first to review this resource! Download (419.72 KB) -
The How and Why of Advocacy This publication offers many pieces of advice generally related to advocacy, as well as specifically in regard to how an organization can monitor and evaluate its advocacy work. The Monitoring and Evaluation section walks through key questions:
- Why monitor and evaluate your work?
- What kind of monitoring indicators are there?
- What to evaluate?
- Who defines success?
Author: BOND Type: Workbooks & Guides Date: Jan 18, 2008 Be the first to review this resource! Download (203.13 KB) -
The Metrics Café: A Guide to Bring Funders and Grantees to the Table The Metrics Café from MIT's D-Lab offers a user-friendly, light-hearted take on understanding how metrics can be selected by funders and grantees. The guide likens metrics selection to meal formats, offering case examples and tips on when and how to use the four approaches:
Author: Laura Budzyna Type: Workbooks & Guides Date: Apr 1, 2017 Point K Pick Be the first to review this resource! Download (395.22 KB) -
The ‘Most Significant Change’ Technique This 104-page guide discusses the "Most Significant Change" ("MSC") technique and its use in advocacy evaluation. The technique involves collecting stories from program participants, reviewing stories and choosing the "most significant," sharing those stories, and discussing their value and impact. The guide states that "When the technique is implemented successfully, whole teams of people begin to focus their attention on program impact." Author: Davies, Rick and Dart, Jess Type: Workbooks & Guides Date: Apr 1, 2005 Be the first to review this resource! Download (1.2 MB) -
THEORY OF CHANGE FOR FUNDERS: PLANNING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE This report talks through three different types of theories of change, each relating to one type of funder impact:
Author: Angela Kail, Dawn Plimmer Type: Research & Reports Date: Dec 1, 2014
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Theory of Change Glossary A theory of change is a document created to communication the strategies, activities, outcomes, and other elements on nonprofit and philanthropic initiatives. Various terms can be used to describe the components of a theory of change. This is one glossary that seeks to define many of the common elements contained within a theory of change.
Author: Community Resource Exchange and Hunter Consulting, LLC Type: Tipsheets & Paper Tools Date: Dec 1, 2012 Be the first to review this resource! Download (187.53 KB) -
Theory of Change: A Practical Tool for Action, Results and Learning Every community needs a roadmap for change. A theory of change (TOC) outlines how to create that change. It is an essential part of a successful community transformation effort. This manual, created for the Casey Foundation's Making Connections initiative, defines theory of change using Casey's impact, influence and leverage platform, and shows community advocates how to create their own TOC by showing the relationships between outcomes, assumptions, strategies and results.
Author: Annie E. Casey Foundation and Organizational Research Services (ORS) Type: Workbooks & Guides Date: Jun 4, 2004 Be the first to review this resource! Download (369.64 KB) -
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 -
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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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 -
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 -
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