Carter McNamara, a prolific writer on non-profit management issues, provides this introduction to using program evaluation to improve services.
The document features the following:
- Program Evaluation: carefully getting information to make decisions about programs
- Where Program Evaluation is Helpful
- Basic Ingredients (you need an organization and program)
- Planning Program Evaluation:(what do you want to learn about, what info is needed)
- Major Types of Program Evaluation (evaluating program processes, goals, outcomes, etc.)
- Overview of Methods to Collect Information (questionnaires, interviews, focus groups, etc.)
- Selecting Which Methods to Use (which methods work best to get needed info from audiences)
- Analyzing and Interpreting Information (to make conclusions and recommendations)
- Reporting Evaluation Results
- Who Should Carry Out the Evaluation?
- Contents of an Evaluation Plan
- Pitfalls to Avoid
Of particular interest are the additional resources in the section on Major Types of Program Evaluation, which include more tools.
