There is growing pressure on nonprofits of every size to be accountable in their work. The scrutiny of nonprofit organizations by government, watchdog groups and funding agencies is particularly hard felt by grassroots organizations whose work is not always easy to quantify, whose strategies are long-term and varied, and for whom the need for reasonable evaluation is critical to their credibility and to attract funding and constituents. The sheer number of evaluation reports which nonprofits are required to file with their funders each year has grown exponentially, and nonprofits are hungry for information on how to tackle this in ways that will not overwhelm already strained resources. LEVEL BEST approaches evaluation by identifying and addressing the inherent challenges facing grassroots organizations under pressure to track activities and show results. Moving from early evaluation planning to final evaluation reports, LEVEL BEST discusses the reservations, resentments, pitfalls, and challenges that face grassroots organizations dealing with evaluation, and offers practical responses, affordable strategies, and language for talking about organizational results. It provides information in the way that is most useful to small nonprofits— short and simple, direct, with bullet points and packages of information logically organized, easily found, and quickly absorbed. LEVEL BEST walks readers through the steps needed to design or improve an evaluation process, help them determine what to measure and why, and provide sample strategies for tracking results and reporting back to funders and the community at large. Whether addressing planning, practice or communicating results, each section identifies the obvious as well as the unspoken fears, challenges and resistance that grassroots organizations often have to contend with relative to evaluation. The authors offer specific solutions and advice to these problems, as well as a host of user-friendly sample worksheets and forms designed to help nonprofits map out their own evaluation strategies.
Book Details:
- Author: Marcia Festen
- ISBN: 9780470330906
- Year Published: 2006
- Pages: 160
- BISAC: BUS074000, BUSINESS & ECONOMICS/Nonprofit Organizations & Charities
About the Book and Topic:
There is growing pressure on nonprofits of every size to be accountable in their work. The scrutiny of nonprofit organizations by government, watchdog groups and funding agencies is particularly hard felt by grassroots organizations whose work is not always easy to quantify, whose strategies are long-term and varied, and for whom the need for reasonable evaluation is critical to their credibility and to attract funding and constituents. The sheer number of evaluation reports which nonprofits are required to file with their funders each year has grown exponentially, and nonprofits are hungry for information on how to tackle this in ways that will not overwhelm already strained resources. LEVEL BEST approaches evaluation by identifying and addressing the inherent challenges facing grassroots organizations under pressure to track activities and show results. Moving from early evaluation planning to final evaluation reports, LEVEL BEST discusses the reservations, resentments, pitfalls, and challenges that face grassroots organizations dealing with evaluation, and offers practical responses, affordable strategies, and language for talking about organizational results. It provides information in the way that is most useful to small nonprofits— short and simple, direct, with bullet points and packages of information logically organized, easily found, and quickly absorbed. LEVEL BEST walks readers through the steps needed to design or improve an evaluation process, help them determine what to measure and why, and provide sample strategies for tracking results and reporting back to funders and the community at large. Whether addressing planning, practice or communicating results, each section identifies the obvious as well as the unspoken fears, challenges and resistance that grassroots organizations often have to contend with relative to evaluation. The authors offer specific solutions and advice to these problems, as well as a host of user-friendly sample worksheets and forms designed to help nonprofits map out their own evaluation strategies.
Donors demand it. Funders demand it. Constituents and boards demand it. Even small, grassroots nonprofits must evaluate results and evaluate them well if they are to get the funds and support they need to achieve their missions. Moreover, even the smallest organization knows that in order to survive they need to set goals, find affordable ways to measure the impact of their work, and communicate effectively what it is theyre all about. LEVEL BEST is an easy-to-use, hands on guide to evaluation for small to mid-sized nonprofits. Designed for those who have little or no evaluation experience, this book fills a gap in the evaluation literature by providing essential, user-friendly guidance for non-experts.
NEED-TO-HAVE CONTENT: Evaluation is a critical component of any successful nonprofit organization’s strategy. Groups must evaluate results in order to get funding. This book shows them how. AUTHOR PLATFORM: Authors are experienced trainers and teachers, with good connections to key professional groups. They’ll promote the book aggressively both to their students and trainees, and they’ll work with professional associations to get the word out about the book USER-FRIENDLY FORMAT: Most evaluation resources are far too technical for grassroots groups. This guide presents helpful, step-by-step guidance in language non-experts can really use.
About the Author
MARIANNE PHILBIN is a writer, trainer and consultant to nonprofit organizations and foundations. She has more than 25 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, and an extensive background in grantmaking, fundraising and evaluation. She has served as Development Director for the $50 million Chicago Annenberg Foundation Challenge; as Executive Director of The Chicago Foundation for Women, and in the early 1980s, Executive Director of The Peace Museum in Chicago. In addition to her current work with foundation and nonprofit clients, she is an instructor on board development and board governance for The Donors Forum of Chicago, and a Lecturer at Northwestern University, where she teaches Philanthropy & Fundraising. She lives in Chicago, IL. MARCIA FESTEN works with nonprofits and foundations to develop strategies,programs and initiatives by providing evaluation, concept testing, policy analysis and planning services. As a Senior Program Officer at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Marcia designed, implemented and evaluated national grantmaking strategies focusing on child and youth development, women’s health, and access to economic opportunity. She lives in Chicago, IL. Philbin and Festen are co-authors of How Effective Nonprofits Work: A Guide for Donors, Board Members and Foundation Officers.