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Measuring What Matters: An Introduction to Project Evaluation for Not-for-profits

Introduction

If something is worth doing, it’s worth evaluating. You have to make sense of it all – enough, at least, to decide what to do next. To make good decisions you have to gather the data, and group it, and analyse it, and impose value on it. What are you doing right? Where could you do better? Of the things you could do better, which is more important?

A program that is properly evaluated gives twice: first, in the impact it has, and second, in making it possible for you – and others – to do better next time.

A top-notch project evaluation is not an end in its own right. Ultimately, what makes project evaluation worthwhile is making a difference in people’s lives.

For people, for programs, for organisations, data is a torch in the fog.

Topics covered include:

  • Evaluation principles
  • Evaluation frameworks
  • What element of the project are we evaluating, exactly?
  • Process evaluation
  • Output evaluation
  • Outcome evaluation
  • Impact evaluation
  • Gathering the data
  • Dealing with complexities
  • The evaluation cycle
  • Sample evaluation reports

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Measuring What Matters – An introduction to project evaluation for not-for-profits

 


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