|
Session Title: Empowering Non-profits through an Evaluation Learning Community
|
|
Panel Session 297 to be held in Panzacola Section H4 on Thursday, Nov 12, 1:40 PM to 3:10 PM
|
|
Sponsored by the Non-profit and Foundations Evaluation TIG
|
| Chair(s): |
| Wayne Parker, Virginia G Piper Charitable Trust, wparker@pipertrust.org
|
| Discussant(s):
|
| Peter York, TCC Group, pyork@tccgrp.com
|
| Abstract:
Far too often nonprofit evaluations are designed to satisfy the needs of funders who determine the definition of success. This session focuses on a process of bringing similar nonprofits in a community together - after school providers in this case - to identify their common definitions of success; to easily generate real-time demographic, output, and outcome data; and to utilize the data to drive programmatic decision making. Additionally, there is a focus on utilizing the data beyond the individual nonprofit in a learning community to build overall community evaluation capacity and to improve the quality of programming across organizations. Implications for both nonprofits and funders relative to evaluation practices are discussed.
|
|
Part I: Developing Common Evaluation Tools
|
| Wayne Parker, Virginia G Piper Charitable Trust, wparker@pipertrust.org
|
|
This is a description of the process of identifying common definitions of success, translating them into effective measures, automating data collection, and developing quantitatively based evaluation reports for the statistically unsophisticated consumer.
|
|
|
Part II: Building Evaluation Capacity
|
| Jane Dowling, Wellington Consulting Group Ltd, janedowling@msn.com
|
|
The participant nonprofit organizations varied widely in their level of experience with and understanding of the use of evaluation for program development and quality improvement. This presentation focuses on the development of a common language and base knowledge of evaluation as a necessary prerequisite to implementing an ongoing evaluation learning community.
| |
|
Part III: Applications and Implications of Building a Learning Community
|
| Catherine Jahnes, Virginia G Piper Charitable Trust, cjahnes@pipertrust.org
|
|
This presentation explores the impact of real-time data on nonprofit functioning and decision making. The evaluation learning community has the potential to minimize the power imbalance between nonprofits and their local funders. These and other implications of the project are explored and discussed. Future applications of the evaluative learning community process are examined.
| |