This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at nicoleclarkconsulting.com. Have a question you’d like to be featured? Let me know. It’s been a while since I’ve touched on a consulting-specific topic, and this month’s Ask Nicole touches on something I’ve been noticing over the past year. Why do nonprofits hire consultants? Specifically, […]
Stop Prioritizing “One Size Fits All” Solutions
This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at nicoleclarkconsulting.com. A principle in program design is that, if a program is placed in a new location, the program will still perform as expected. From a program evaluation perspective, we understand that a program’s location presents both challenges and opportunities, as the physical location […]
Try This: Update Your Logic Model
This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at nicoleclarkconsulting.com. Try this activity and let me know how it goes for you. When logic models are viewed as a valuable planning and learning tool and used with other programmatic tools, it increases the likelihood that your organization will use them. So, let’s update […]
The Key to Making Actionable Logic Models
This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at nicoleclarkconsulting.com. Let’s get straight to the point. When logic models are viewed as a valuable planning and learning tool, rather than solely as a grant making reporting requirement, it increases the likelihood that your organization will use them. When logic models are viewed in […]
Ask Nicole: Why Logic Models Set Nonprofits Up for Failure
This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at nicoleclarkconsulting.com. Have a question you’d like to be featured? Let me know. During a project meeting, I had a conversation with an executive director on structuring their organizational evaluation framework. Understanding programs and all their many parts helps me determine an appropriate evaluation strategy, […]
Closest to the Problem, Closest to the Solution
This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at nicoleclarkconsulting.com. When you’re closest to the problem, you’re closest to the solution. I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole of philanthropy. Specifically, how funders engage with and invest in communities and nonprofits. Most nonprofits have an ambivalent relationship with funders. They need funding to survive, but […]
Ask Nicole: Our Programs Are Outdated
This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at nicoleclarkconsulting.com. Have a question you’d like to be featured? Let me know. Nonprofit organizations play a vital role in addressing social issues and making a positive impact in our communities. To effectively serve their communities and achieve their mission, nonprofits must constantly adapt and […]
Try This: Data Sense Making
This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at nicoleclarkconsulting.com. Try this and let me know how it goes for you. Getting clear on why you’re collecting data shifts your organization from being reactive to proactively data driven. You know why you’re collecting data. You may even have data. What do you do […]
Before You Start Collecting Data, Read This
This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at nicoleclarkconsulting.com. The first evaluation I ever led was for The Doula Project. My relationship to The Doula Project started with being a volunteer as a graduate student, and joining the board of directors a few years later. Based on feedback from the organization’s Leadership […]
Ask Nicole: Should Research Come Before Evaluation?
This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at nicoleclarkconsulting.com. Have a question you’d like to be featured? Let me know. This question comes from Larissa, a graduate student in Arizona. Larissa write: Hi Nicole, I’m a graduate student currently taking a class about research and evaluation. I also just finished a course […]