I often hear nonprofit and government employees become frustrated with the “language” of evaluation. On occasion, I’ve even seen a promising evaluation effort go off the rails because the terminology was confusing. What’s an input? …An output? …An outcome? If you’ve been seeking definitions that can
Read more →Just this week, I discovered a fantastic new resource for program evaluators, or anyone else who geeks out on real-world research like me. Eval Central is the place “Where Evaluation Blogs Intersect”, including great contributors such as the American Evaluation Association, EvalThoughts, and Evaluation Unsanctioned, as well
Read more →Need to learn more about nonprofit capacity-building? This article from the National Council on Nonprofits provides a great overview and provides numerous links, should you wish to dig deeper. Read the article here.
Read more →A few weeks ago, I enthusiastically jumped in my Honda with a clear intention on lunch with a colleague in Williamsburg, about one hour from my office near Richmond. I knew the broad strokes of how to get there, but needed an assist for the final approach, so I plugged the address into my handy GPS. As I entered the interstate, my friendly GPS voice calmly shared this feedback “Awaiting Better Accuracy”.
Read more →By now, you know that I love to scour the blogs at Harvard Business for great information. Here’s an example of why it is one of my go-to web spots. This entry reminds us that strategy without execution is largely pointless, and those who execute must both
Read more →If you don’t have Mashable bookmarked, do it now. This site provides not only excellent tips and updates on technology, but more importantly links its technology content to business effectiveness. Check out the Business tab for great advice that is relevant to small business and nonprofits, as
Read more →Here’s an excellent reminder from Harvard Business Review that if you establish a metric for someone – leader or staff – that’s what they will try to optimize. Are you measuring indicators that drive success, or rather simply measuring what’s easy? Read the full article here: You Are
Read more →Think irrationality is bad? Think again. This article, from BNET, explains how logical thinking has its limits, particularly with respect to staff motivation. Read this to learn more about why we work, as well as developing better strategies to motivate your workforce. Read the full article here: Your
Read more →This blog from the experts at Harvard Business makes a compelling point: Are the numbers you use to describe your organization or business prompting others to action? Also included: tips on how to look at the numbers you have and reveal new information. Highly recommended! Read the
Read more →I recently traveled to Denver, CO for Evaluation 2014, the annual conference of the American Evaluation Association. It was an incredibly fun and informative trip, filled with networking, new techniques, and innovative resources. Hurrah for continuous improvement! Last year, I reflected on the event in the style
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