The NonProfit Times - May 15, 2008 - (Page 19)

GRANTS JUDITH MARGOLIN Organizational Evaluation Funders want to know that you know yourself E valuation has become a buzzword for today’s nonprofits, grantmakers, and government oversight agencies. There are a number of reasons for this, high on the list being attention by some members of Congress who are taking a careful look at nonprofit expenditures, including those of foundations, and the fact that investigative journalists have been focusing on the small number of nonprofits that take unfair advantage of their tax-exempt status. In the wake of the passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in 2002, nonprofit board members have become increasingly aware of their personal liability as stewards of the public trust.What all this adds up to is growing pressure on those who run the nation’s nonprofits to justify their existence. One way to do this is by conducting evaluations of their activities to determine if they are having the desired impact. GETTING STARTED The objectives of an effective evaluation program are closely tied to an organization’s mission and basically ask the question,“are we succeeding at what we set out to do?” Here are the commonly accepted character- tivities) and ultimately should seek to measure your impact on the community in which you operate. This is a tall order for many nonprofits, when in the past simply counting heads was the primary means of measuring success. Evaluation, as it is practiced today, might be conducted by in-house staff, by outside consultants,or by a combination of the two.It need not be overly complicated. One of the simplest ways to conduct an evaluation is to ask your audiences, staff, and volunteers what they think of the service being provided and how it might be modified or improved. Many organizations already do this exercise. But in the current environment, such efforts need to be more formal and more transparent. istics of a successful evaluation program: • Evaluation as conducted by your nonprofit should be systematic. It should be ongoing (i.e., not something you do only once or twice a year) and built into the very fabric of your management systems. • It should focus not just on your outputs (the numbers you serve or the programs you run), but also on outcomes (what has changed as a result of these acWHY EVALUATE? WHY NOT? Among the most common reasons to evaluate are the following: • The board wants you to do it, and in fact is insisting on it; • A donor or prospective funder might be asking for evidence of effectiveness; • The executive director is considering a shift in focus and wants to determine where opportunities lie to make a greater difference before proceeding; • New leadership might be in place; and, • By far the most compelling reason to engage in evaluation, you could want to learn how to do a better job at what you’re already delivering to your client base. There could be equally compelling reasons why you might not want to evaluate. It’s usually not cost-free, and the increased costs could be in staff time, not just dollars. You might not have the staff expertise to engage in formal evaluation, or you could be fearful of what you are going to find out. On the other hand, there really is no choice. In today’s competitive funding climate, your nonprofit will need to be creative in finding a way to fit evaluation into your budget, to get these important services donated, or to find a funder who will pay for them, if you are to become a true “learning organization.” EVALUATION OF A GRANT PROPOSAL For the latest (2006) edition of The Foundation Center’s Guide to Proposal Writing,author Jane Geever interviewed 40 Grants, page 20 SEARCH Thousands OF MILLION DOLLAR+ www.nptimes.com THE NONPROFIT TIMES is excited to announce a new portal offering free searches to our database of over 4,400 corporate million dollar+ donations. The only FREE portal of its kind, this is a valuable tool for nonprofits looking for information on corporate giving. Using a portal on our home page, www.nptimes.com, or by visiting www.nptgrantsearch.com visitors will have access to an extensive database of 4,400+ corporate donations. This regularly updated data can be easily searched by business name or by over 25 different recipient causes. Once retrieved, the data can be downloaded into an Excel spreadsheet. Information on gift size, donation year, recipient and donor are all provided. Another great service from the industry leader. As the leading business publication for nonprofits, we continually look for ways to help nonprofits effectively manage their organizations and raise funds. We encourage you to visit our new portal and try a free search! Information powered by Nozasearch.com FREE! MAY 15, 2008 CORPORATE Donations THE NONPROFIT TIMES www.nptimes.com 19 http://www.nptimes.com http://www.nptimes.com http://www.nptimes.com http://www.nptgrantsearch.com http://Nozasearch.com http://www.nptimes.com http://www.nptimes.com

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The NonProfit Times - May 15, 2008 Tying Multiple Sub-Brands To The Primary Idea Executive Session: Giving The Donor The Chance To Say Yes Blogging From The Top Contents Striking The Best Deal Don't Be Fooled Immigrants And Philanthropy Bringing In The Dough Good And Bad Organizational Evaluation Design Your Message You’ve Got Mail? Hybrid Power Calendar NPT Jobs Resource Directory

The NonProfit Times - May 15, 2008

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