Program Evaluation
Program Evaluation provides your organization with the insight to strengthen your programs and the evidence of your impact to demonstrate your value to stakeholders and donors.
Program evaluations are one of the most commonly overlooked tools of nonprofit management, particularly in Israel.
Have you ever heard a nonprofit executive rave that "Everybody loves this program," "We're making such an impact," "Our work is so meaningful to the community," and thought to yourself: Really?
How do you know?
You're not the only one asking.
Donors.
Stakeholders.
Participants.
Board members.
Program managers at charitable foundations.
Community leaders.
They're all asking the same question: Is your program really worth my time and money?
What Is Program Evaluation?
Program evaluation is a set of tools that helps your organization assess the necessity and effectiveness of its programs.
Research the landscape to understand the need.
Justify your approach by articulating your theory of change and examining evidence from similar programs.
Define your programmatic goals, resources, activities, participant audience, and measurable outputs, such as number of classes or participants served.
Identify the outcomes you aim to achieve through your work.
Measure your impact by collecting data from stakeholders and participants to determine whether your program is producing its intended outcomes consistently and effectively.
The short answer is all programs. Any program on which your organization is spending its financial and personnel resources can and should be subject to scrutiny to determine its efficacy.
An annual environmental conference might be assessed differently than an education enrichment program, but the core questions remain the same: Why was this event important? How many were affected? What resources were invested in this idea, and what are the tangible results of that investment? Did the program successfully impact its participants in a meaningful way?
In a perfect world, the process would begin at the programs' inception. Research into the needs of the intended population would determine the scope and nature of the aid provided. Programs would be thoughtfully designed ahead of time - resources, activities, and expected outputs would be articulated, specific goals and measurable indicators of success would be established.
Practically, nonprofit work can be messy, much like the world in which they operate. Programs - particularly small ones - are often designed based on personal experiences, and needs are often assumed but not measured. Program evaluation is rarely considered until the participants have arrived, and self-corrective measures are often taken only after programmatic failures.
However, where there is a will, there is a way. Evaluations can be modified and adapted to fit every stage of a nonprofits' work and can provide valuable information for your organization and your donor base.
Nonprofits can certainly handle program evaluation in-house (provided they have the manpower), by sending out evaluation forms to participants and tracking their activities and numbers. Needs assessments, research into theories of change, program design and evaluations are all part of a nonprofit professional's toolbox.
An external program evaluator provides added value on three fronts:
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External Viewpoint: An external assessor's understanding of the programmatic goals and landscape can raise new questions or concerns the organization had not considered.
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Frank Conversations: Program evaluation necessitates honest and in-depth conversations with stakeholders and participants of a program. This includes staff, volunteers, community members, and longtime friends of the organization, who may feel uncomfortable sharing their concerns and opinions with the organization directly. The anonymity provided by an external evaluator can shine a light on opportunities for the program to expand and deepen its impact.
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Enhanced Credibility: Independent verification of programmatic successes can increase the credibility of the organization's claims. Clients of Geffen Nonprofit Solutions will receive a evaluation report for distribution to whomever they see fit.
Geffen Nonprofit Solutions aims to provide you with the most comprehensive program evaluation possible for your organization. This includes writing evaluation forms and distributing it to your participants, holding in-depth interviews and focus group interviews with stakeholders (staff, volunteers, administrators, community members) and program participants, laying out the program's logic model and identifying gaps in program design.
The organization's cooperation with the evaluation is necessary, particularly when it comes to providing the names and contact details of program staff and participants. All data provided to Geffen Nonprofit Solutions is kept confidential.
The final product of the program evaluation is a report, which will be provided to your organization and can be distributed internally or externally.