Conducting Your First Program Evaluation?

Taking the plunge into evaluation can feel overwhelming.  But we’ve got you covered!  Over the years and after hundreds of program evaluations, we’ve gotten pretty clear on a few key steps to get any program evaluation off to a successful start.

Start with Why

There are lots of ways to spend our time.  If program evaluation has made it to the top of your list, that’s great!  But for it to stay there, it will require a clear and compelling rationale.  Why evaluate this program at this time?  What essential questions will it answer?  How will it support your organization?  Getting clear from the very start why this evaluation is essential will keep you grounded, even when work and life get busy.  It will also set the stage for a strong evaluation plan.  And if you can’t come up with that compelling reason, hold off on evaluation and revisit the possibility when the time is right.

Gather Your Team

An evaluation process is a team effort!  While organizations may have one person leading the charge, internally or externally, you’ll likely need multiple individuals to fulfill key roles for the evaluation.  These roles might include drafting the evaluation plan, developing tools (like a survey or focus group guide), reviewing / testing tools, recruiting participants, analyzing data, and sharing findings and lessons learned.  If you need some support thinking through the type of people who might be best suited for this work, check out this post and planning worksheet to start pulling together your evaluation “dream team.”

Check Your Must-Haves

Often, program teams dive into an evaluation because it is a funder requirement.  If that rings true, don’t forget to ask your funder for guidance on an evaluation process.  Different funders tend to use different templates for evaluation plans, logic models, data sharing, and reporting.  In fact, we’ve found this can vary quite dramatically from one funder to another.  Before going too far down the path of evaluation yourself, be sure that you’re defining key evaluation terms in the same way and your approach is meeting (if not exceeding) all minimum funder requirements.  From there, you can add on other need-to-know elements of your program and organization. 

Set the Course

An evaluation plan is a written document that explains how your team will monitor and evaluate your program over time, ultimately to use your results to improve your program and benefit your community.  While there are comprehensive guides to developing evaluation plans, like this one from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we have found even the simplest of evaluation plans to be effective for first-timers.  We think the 4 most essential elements to include are your: 1) evaluation objectives, 2) performance indicators (targets), 3) methods and responsible parties for collecting your data, and 4) timeline.  (And yes, if you have the bandwidth, a logic model is a solid bonus in any evaluation plan.)  With these details worked out from the start, you’ll be able to tackle the evaluation process each step of the way!

Looking for more support for your first evaluation process?  Reach out -- we’d love to help!