Description: Not completely sold on the need for gathering all that evaluation data? Or, need help convincing your program partners of the need for evaluation data? Join Amy & LeeAnn for an interactive hands-on session discussing the what and the why of evaluation. Amy & LeeAnn encourage concerns be raised and we encourage those concerns to be posted on this wiki page! *Note, this is a two part session. The session is most useful if you attend both.
Time: Tuesday 1:30-2:30 and 2:45-3:00
Location: Hanna Room
Facilitator: Amy Luckey, ZeroDivide & LeeAnn Shreve, WV Broadband Opportunities Program
Notes:
The value of evaluation for your program and your staff; concentration today is for staff.
10-minute overview to “level the playing field” in the room. Some words to consider:
Organizational learning, reality testing, deliberate, integrated, intentional, clarity, “getting to the nitty-gritty”
Driven by external audiences:
- · Contribute to the knowledge to your field
- · Demonstrate your value to the community
Should be driven by improving your own program
- · organizational learning
- · “be the best program that you can be”
Why are we collecting the metrics we are collecting
What are we trying to achieve, measure - what is your impact to your community
What are you doing to achieve your goals
How and why do you think what you are doing is going to give you useable results
Two tools:
1. Logic model – Outcomes Chain – Return on Investment – Graphic Tool
- · “Reality testing” – describes how your program works and determines what you need to measure
- · 5 boxes: Resources/inputs – Activities – Outputs – Outcomes – Impact
- · Collect the first 4 boxes, integrate data to determine box 5
- · Examples on the Wiki
2. Theory of Change – narrative, short and representative of your program
Activities ----- Expected Results
“Good evaluation is a useful evaluation” – by whom and how will the information be used.
Funders, staff members, managers, your board, your community, policy makers, your peers
What data do we need to collect – based on audience, both you and the above
“Are we doing things right and are we doing the right things?”
What words come to mind when you think of evaluation?
Entire group:
Tedious, selling, learning, measuring, practical, qualitative, quantitative, gaming (over reporting), quiz, test, survey, accountability, pain in the, burdensome, judgment, questions, monitoring, info gathering
Small group reports:
Sell it –
Safe place to talk – be honest
Consider stakeholders
Organization needs to deliver information in a timely manner
Have actionable items behind data
Determine success – evaluate during program and incorporate results
Have clear standards from beginning
Teaching staff evaluation so that staff have an understanding
Take time to integrate results into the program
Incentivize staff or sub grantees to collect data
How does evaluation tie back to your program
How is the data going to be reported – individually or aggregated
Can staff collect and understand the own data
Report positives, negatives and action steps side by side
“Provide a quick easy win” – Look for pieces of data that can be collected easily and reported back to your audience (example: staff or funder) as soon as possible.
Evaluation 101, Part II
Amy gave each table breakfast cereal and an evaluation worksheet (logic model) to complete.
Both tables enjoyed the exercise.
Table 2 tried to think outside the box (bad joke).
Discussion revolved around what standards we should use to measure the constituents. (What should we measure?)
Process driven – continuous improvement of process.
Categories and patterns result in steps to evaluate.
Need to separate parameters – granular evaluation…What about “How does it taste?”
Audience – Evaluation team differed on what we like…raisins? Bran? We are all adults…what about children’s perspective. Who is your audience?
What are we missing for a marketable product? Cost, process evaluation, packaging, marketing
Bring common ground to the table, expectations.
Large groups can contribute to evaluation but smaller group needs to put it all together, i.e. use the input from your staff to inform evaluation creators.
Schedule time to discuss evaluation at all levels of the organization. This shows that you value input.
Thanks, Amy, for a fun, informative session!
Here's a basic intro to evaluation:
Evaluation - Where to Begin.doc
And, a laundry list of evaluation resources:
Nonprofit Evaluation Resources.docx
(ZeroDivide's programming is focused on youth media, hence the first few resources listed.)
ohio slides.pptx
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