Empowering Nonprofits Through Data

Resources

We’ve curated a helpful collection of resources, guides and links.

Evaluation Readiness Assessment

Understand your organization’s current needs in evaluation capacity building.

Takes less than 10 minutes!

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Nonprofit Leadership Lab

Joan Garry’s Nonprofit Leadership LabEvaluation into Action, LLC, is now an affiliate partner with Joan Garry’s Nonprofit Leadership Lab. One great way to check out how valuable the Nonprofit Leadership Lab can be is to join Joan Garry for a jam-packed workshop that will give you the practical advice you need to strengthen your org and lead with more intention. Here are a few webinars you can take advantage of.

Request your invitation!

Read

Nonprofit Program Evaluation Made Simple:
Get your Data. Show your Impact. Improve your Programs.

There are many ways to do program evaluation, making it difficult to know how to start. In this book, Chari outlines a clear approach, filled with real world stories as well as examples of evaluation plans, surveys, and reports.

Bonus: A companion website filled with downloadable real world examples and templates.

Learn More

Teacherslearn how you can use this book in your classroom.

Program Evaluation and Data Culture in Resident Services

Northwest Housing Alternatives contracted with Evaluation Into Action to create an evaluation system for their resident services program.

This case study outlines key steps in our process in three areas: Planning, Implementation and Results.

Please enter your email to download your FREE copy of our white paper on Program Evaluation and Data Culture in Resident Services!

Introduction to Engaging Diverse Audiences

In partnership with the Regional Arts and Culture Council

This guide for Arts organizations will walk you through the steps necessary to engage a more diverse audience. This framework was based on a comprehensive literature review as well as interviews with experts and community leaders.

Download the Guide

Evaluation Mini Guides

Partnered with NPC Research, a project for Oregon Arts Commission

These guides connecting Students to the World of Work (WoW) offer guidance for conducting evaluations of funded programs. Each mini-guide offers basic information on a specific topic to help grantee organizations build capacity to implement evaluation activities.

Listen

eval20 – shine your light

Shine your Light, a song written and performed by Chari Smith about program evaluation

Thanks to the eval20 conference attendees for your request that I record the full song Shine your Light. I wrote Shine your Light for the opening plenary session I did at the American Evaluation Association (AEA) annual conference. The song was inspired by the conference theme ‘shine your light’, that we as program evaluators shine our light to reveal truths that were once unknown. I was so inspired by the conference sessions, I added a bridge!

Download Shine your Light (m4a)

Special thanks to Aimee White, AEA 2020 President, Anisha Lewis, AEA Executive Director, Jayne Kramer, AEA Marketing & Communications Manager, and AEA Phil Montwill, Senior Graphic Designer for working with me to create an inspiring video that blends music and stories about program evaluation.

Feel free to download the song and the lyric sheet.

You can watch the plenary session here:

Podcasts

Glass Frog Podcast

Listen


Making Evaluation Simple with Chari Smith

We are excited to be kicking off Season 4 of the Glass Frog Podcast with evaluator and author Chari Smith! Chari is the founder of Evaluation into Action, which partners with nonprofit professionals to create realistic and meaningful program evaluation processes. She teaches workshops aimed at helping nonprofit professionals understand the value of program evaluation, and recently published her first book that helps early career evaluators, nonprofit professionals, and students learn how to create and implement an evaluation plan. The book, Nonprofit Program Evaluation Made Simple: Get Your Data. Show Your Impact. Improve Your Practicea>, is on shelves, so order your copy today!


Nonprofits are Messy Podcast with Joan Garry

Listen


Let’s Make Program Evaluation Simpler

We’re not good at it – we think it’s too hard, we don’t know how to do it. And our boards don’t hold us accountable to figure it out. Oh yes, and of course funders want to know all about it.

Chari Smith, the author of Nonprofit Program Evaluation Made Simple: Get Your Data. Show Your Impact. Improve Your Programs, insists there is an easy way to make steering your ship fun and exciting with good data.




The Nonprofit Show


The author of Nonprofit Program Evaluation Made Simple, Chari Smith, shares insight on how to systematically gather data to demonstrate your impact and make improvements, often a requirement from major modern funders.

This is a recent episode of The Nonprofit Show -- the Nation’s daily live streaming broadcast where the Nonprofit Community comes together. Each weekday the hosts and their guests cover different nonprofit topics with fresh ideas to help your nonprofit achieve its mission, vision, and values.




“Nonprofit Vision with Gregory Nielsen” Podcast on Program Evaluation

Listen



Highly effective nonprofits leverage the tools of program evaluation to build a culture of continuous improvement. This allows nonprofit and Board leaders to make better strategic decisions. Chari Smith joins Greg to discuss the steps necessary to translate evaluation into action for your nonprofit.

Nonprofit Vision with Gregory Nielsen presents informative and entertaining conversations spotlighting critical issues in nonprofit leadership and the visionaries who are addressing them.

Nonprofit Vision podcast is a production by Gregory Nielsen with Nielsen Training & Consulting, LLC at www.nielsenconsults.com

We are lucky to have Chari in our community.

Chari Smith has been a presenter in our Certificate classes, Leadership Classes and Conferences.  We rely on Chari to bring valuable information that is presented in an interactive manner engaging everyone in the process of appreciating, using and interpreting data for evaluation purposes.  It’s an important element of a strong nonprofit and we are lucky to have Chari in our community.

Agnes Zach, Executive Director, Nonprofit Professionals Now

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