Evaluation Essentials

A nuts-and-bolts introduction to program evaluation for the nonprofit and public sectors

Evaluation Essentials: Methods for Conducting Sound Research, 2nd Edition, is a substantial update to the popular overview of the evaluation process. Virtually every form of externally funded nonprofit activity must be periodically evaluated, and trained evaluators are in higher demand than ever before. This book offers a step-by-step introduction to the process and methods of program evaluation, with over 40 examples from public policy, public health, non-profit management, social work, arts management, education, international assistance, and labor.

Evaluation Essentials covers updates in the field of evaluation, including contribution analyses, as well as current best practices for forming evaluation questions, applying program theory, performing literature reviews, collecting data, creating outcome measures, designing and conducting surveys, grant writing, and much more. This Second Edition also includes an expanded international context, examining evaluation in international organizations. The process outlined in this book is also applicable to policy evaluation and the evaluation of organizational performance, adding additional value to this timely update.

• Gain a foundational knowledge of the principles and practices of program evaluation
• Design evaluations and conduct research, including quantitative and qualitative analysis
• Generate data that can be used to demonstrate a program's impact to funders and stakeholders
• Learn from examples drawn from a broad range of nonprofit organizations

This definitive guide to evaluation will appeal to professionals in fields as diverse as education, policy sciences, public administration, sociology, health, and beyond.

Beth Osborne DaPonte, Ph.D. has taught program evaluation at the graduate level at Yale University’s School of Management, Carnegie Mellon University, and the University of Pittsburgh. Additionally, Beth is Principal and Owner of Social Science Consultants, LLC, a firm that provides consulting and advisory services to the non-profit/NGO, religious, governmental, and international sectors. Clients have included the United Nations (secretariat and UN-System funds, programs, and agencies); foundations (e.g., Forbes Funds, Heinz Endowments, Hillman Family Foundations); educational institutions (e.g., University of Pittsburgh); and US-based nonprofits (e.g., Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, Allies for Children).