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Evaluation is a subject that has gained lots of attention lately. Most, if not
all, foundations as well as state grant sources are requiring some form of
evaluation to make sure that monies received are being spent wisely. The name of
the game is
now more than ever "accountability." Be very
careful you don't slide into the trap of chasing after grant dollars so hard you
lose site of your organization's mission!
Level Best: How Small and Grassroots Nonprofits Can Tackle Evaluation and Talk
Results (Kim Klein's Chardon Press) (Paperback) by Marianne Philbin
(Author), Marcia Festen (Author)
This book was written to counter the outsize expectations that the demand for
"accountability" sometimes creates, the book offers a fresh perspective on
evaluation, and a simpler, more practical and realistic approach for the
thousands of nonprofits that can't -- and don't need to -- conduct evaluation in
traditional ways. If you have additional question or comments contact:
Marianne Philbin, Foundation & Nonprofit Consulting, 3925 N. Marshfield, Chicago
IL 60613, 773-388-3229
Additional written guide books about how to
conduct proper evaluations can be found by clicking here!
Management
Assistance Program for Nonprofits: Basic Guide
to Program Evaluation Developed by Carter McNamara
http://www.mapnp.org/library/evaluatn/fnl_eval.htm Whatcom
Council of Nonprofits -
Best Practices - Outcomes and Quality Improvement
http://www.wcnwebsite.org/practices/outcomes.htm
Evaluation,
in the context of management activities, is carefully collecting
information about something in order to make necessary decisions
about it. There are a large number and wide variety of
evaluations that can occur in businesses, whether for-profit or
nonprofit. http://www.mapnp.org/library/evaluatn/evaluatn.htm
The
National Center for Charitable Statistics (NCCS) is the national
repository of data on the nonprofit sector in the United States.
Its mission is to develop and disseminate high quality data on
nonprofit organizations and their activities for use in research
on the relationships between the nonprofit sector, government,
the commercial sector, and the broader civil society. http://nccs.urban.org/
The
American Evaluation Association is an international professional
association of evaluators devoted to the application and
exploration of program evaluation, personnel evaluation,
technology, and many other forms of evaluation. Evaluation
involves assessing the strengths and weaknesses of programs,
policies, personnel, products, and organizations to improve
their effectiveness. http://www.eval.org
The United Way of America Outcome Measurement Network. The
Resource Network's purpose is to provide information on outcome
measurement resources and learnings from chapters of United Way
of America and other organizations. The Outcome Measurement
Resource Network has 6 sections: http://national.unitedway.org/outcomes/
United Way of America
Outcome Measurement: What, Why, and How?
Excerpts from Measuring Program Outcomes: A Practical Approach
found at:
http://national.unitedway.org/outcomes/library/pgmomres.cfm
Introduction
to Outcome Measurement
Glossary
of Outcome Measurement Terms
Why
Measure Outcomes?
Agency
Uses of Outcome Information
Eight
Steps to Success
Program
Outcome Model
Examples
of Outcomes and Indicators
Outcome
Measurement: Showing Results in the Nonprofit Sector
This article appeared in the Fall 1997 issue of New
Directions For Evaluation: Using Performance Measurement to
Improve Public and Nonprofit Programs and was written by
Margaret Plantz and Martha Taylor Greenway of United Way of
America and Michael Hendricks, an independent consultant.
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