5. Rigorous Evaluation
“The program implements a rigorous evaluation process to accurately identify its strengths and weaknesses.”
In my work I have found extreme aversion to certain activities in the non profit world. One of these activities is implementing structured, scheduled evaluations of the program and its educators. In order to provide quality education and maintain energy in the program, evaluations must take place. Frequently, educators fall back on looking at the numbers of people as a measure of effectiveness. Looking at numbers is not enough.
I suggest that every six months the program assesses its progress in the following areas:
- In looking at the workshop evaluations, how are we (as educators) being received by our audiences? (Pillar 1)
- In looking at the workshop evaluations, how is our information being received by audiences? What areas are we strong in? What areas are we struggling with? (Pillar 1)
- Have we partnered with another community organization in the past 6 months for a project or session? If yes, what came of the partnership? If not, what can we do to create a partnership soon? (Pillar 2)
- Has our program received any outside publicity/press? Was it positive or negative? What upcoming events/activities need to receive positive publicity/press? (Pillar 2)
- Regarding our workshop techniques, what presentation skills should we all have mastered? Have we achieved that? How do we know? (Pillar 4)
- Are there any other workshop techniques that we’ve heard of or seen that we would like to incorporate or experiment with using? (Pillar 3)
These are just a few suggestions for where to start when evaluating your program. Notice that each of these indicators points to one of the Five Pillars of a Successful Program. It is imperative that the evaluation of your own program reflects how strong your pillars are.
