I love helping non-evaluators use results to improve programs. Click here to read what I’m aiming for in this quest for evaluation use. Sometimes program staff already know a lot about evaluation. Often, I’m teaching them about evaluation for the first time. So where do…
I’ve been thinking about patterns in nonprofit program evaluation and performance management. Here’s what I’ve noticed: Funders are getting excited about data and evaluation! This means… Funders encourage/require nonprofits to demonstrate the immediate effects of their work (i.e. detailed output data and short-term outcomes included…
I’m pleased to present Jen Hamilton, who is guest-posting for the second time on my blog. Jen posted a few weeks ago about potent presentations (you can read her post here). Now she’s back to share her reflections from the Eastern Evaluation Research Society’s 2012 conference about…
Schools are goldmines of “lessons learned” for evaluators since schools have been immersed in (drowning in?) data since 2001’s No Child Left Behind. One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned from school systems is that there’s a big difference between assessments of learning vs….
I’ve been asking evaluators and non-evaluators to think about the most potent presentations they’ve seen and heard. While everyone’s mentioned a bunch of similarities (“Don’t read off your slides” is a given), there have also been some differences. Most recently, my former teammate taught me about the value…