Traditionally, funders expect evaluation to show that resources are
being used wisely. But evaluation can be a much more powerful tool--for
both funders and nonprofits. Forward-looking grantmakers and grantees
are leveraging their evaluations, ensuring that the time and money spent
ultimately improves effectiveness for everyone. This book shows how
they're doing it, including - How the ""evaluative learning"" approach
furthers ongoing improvement via collaborative, stakeholder influenced
evaluations - How to bridge the differences in what funders and
nonprofits need from evaluation - How evaluation builds four critical
capacities--leadership, adaptive capacity, management, and technical
capacity - Seven steps a funder can take to build the evaluative
learning capacity in nonprofits - Thirteen specific evaluative learning
strategies that funders can support Worksheets and assessment tools will
help funders 1) assess their readiness to implement evaluative learning;
2) develop a logic model; 3) uncover grantees' current evaluation
efforts and preparedness for evaluative learning; and 4) use resources
wisely when selecting an evaluative learning support strategy. When the
funding community supports evaluative learning, nonprofits and funders
together can figure out how to strengthen programs, better allocate
resources, and share successful models.
