Level Best
How Small and Grassroots Nonprofits Can Tackle Evaluation and Talk Results
Published on 20. November 2006
200 pages
978-0-7879-8755-8 (ISBN)
Description
Level Best offers guidance that demystifies evaluation and takes into account the unique challenges and realities of grassroots nonprofit organizations. It provides a new framework for thinking about evaluation and tools for measuring and sharing results in ways that are practical, efficient, and meaningful.
Reviews / Votes
"Level Best proves to be a foolproof fear buster . . . The book does an excellent job of presenting evaluation as a tool for grassroots organizations to use to their benefit..." (American Journal of Evaluation)"Nonprofit organizations of all sizes must be able to measureprogress toward their goals. As a fundraiser, I know how importantthis is in making a case for supporting the arts. Level Bestnot only demystifies the process of evaluation, it offers areasonable approach that makes sense for programs with limitedtime, money, or staff to devote to this area." --Eric Delli Bovi, development director, Old Town School ofFolk Music, Chicago, Illinois "We are under pressure every day--not only to perform atthe highest level--but to prove that what we are doing netsthe greatest possible results. Of all the resources I'veconsulted on evaluation. Level Best is the most practical,the most readable, and the most supportive. The authors understandnot only how great our challenges are, but how little time we havefor anything that does not address our real needs--which thisbook does." --Ruth Barrett Rendler, deputy director, The Center forVictims of Torture, Minneapolis, Minnesota "So many guides to evaluation are theoretical or academic innature, reflecting little understanding of the operating realitiesof smaller or more grassroots-oriented nonprofits. The authors ofLevel Best know this territory intimately, and their guideto evaluation offers solid guidance, clear direction, and practicalapplications for effective planning and program development." --Daranee Petsod, executive director, Grantmakers Concernedwith Immigrants and Refugees, Sebastopol, California "Every day I see smaller nonprofits struggling to graft ontotheir work evaluation procedures that in one way or another justaren't a good match for them. The authors of LevelBest have created a guide which avoids jargon andovercomplicated systems by simplifying and clarifying the processfor smaller and newer groups. It will be a much-used andmuch-appreciated tool." --Susannah Quem Pratt, coordinator of evaluation, LillyEndowment's Religion DivisionMore details
Other editions
Additional editions
Marcia Festen | Marianne Philbin
Level Best
How Small and Grassroots Nonprofits Can Tackle Evaluation and Talk Results
Book
10/2006
Jossey-Bass
€24.00
Shipment within 10-20 days
Persons
Marcia Festen of Marcia K. Festen Associates in Chicago is aconsultant to nonprofits and foundations.In addition to conductingevaluations, she develops policy and grantmaking strategies,programs, and initiatives. She was a senior program officer at theJohn D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and hasover twentyyears of experience in the field.
Marianne Philbin is a writer, trainer, and consultantspecializing in nonprofit organizational development.She has workedfor a wide range of foundations and nonprofit organizations, andhas an extensive background in grantmaking, fundraising, andnonprofit management. She is an instructor for the Donors Forum ofChicago and a lecturer at Northwestern University's School ofContinuing Studies.
Content
Figure, Tables, Worksheets, Exhibits, Agendas.
Introduction.
How to Use This Book.
Instruction with Samples and Examples.
1 Understanding Evaluation.
Evaluation as Power Instead of Pain.
What Evaluation Is and What It Is Not.
2 A Simple Evaluation Framework.
The Basic Evaluation Framework.
Key Concepts:What to Evaluate and How to Get Started.
The Rolling Evaluation Method.
3 Planning Your Evaluation.
A Quick Review of Basic Organizational Readiness.
Definition of an Effective Organization.
What You Plan Affects What You Learn.
Step by Step: Planning Your Evaluation.
Understanding Funders'Needs and Fitting Them into YourEvaluation Plan.
Why Setting Goals Makes Evaluation Easier.
How You Can Prepare.
4 Asking the Right Questions.
Clear Program Goals Guide Evaluation Questions and Choices.
What to Evaluate:What You Do Versus What Your ConstituentsDo.
If or Then:Which to Evaluate?
The Relationship Between Evaluating What You Do (Process) andWhat They Do (Outcome).
Determine the Right Questions.
Ask What You Really Want to Know.
How Advocacy Organizations Can Approach Evaluation.
How to Be Answerable When Advocacy and Organizing Are YourAgenda.
Ideas for Measuring Organizing Efforts.
5 Tracking Information.
Options for Tracking Information.
The Right Goal Statement Helps Determine the Right Things toTrack.
6 Learning From and Using the Information.
Making Use of Your Information.
Organizing Your Information.
Drawing Conclusions.
Using What You Learn.
Sharing Your Evaluation Results with the Outside World.
Feeding Results into the Cycle of Planning.
Tying Evaluation into Planning.
Deciding Where to Begin.
Incorporating Evaluation into Your Strategic PlanningProcess.
Resources.
A Commonly Used Terms and Their Definitions.
B Types of Evaluation.
C Sample Completed Evaluation Planning Worksheet.
D Sample Evaluation Report Outline.
E Program Evaluation Standards.
Acknowledgments.
About the Authors.
References.
Index.
