Creating a meaningful evaluation report

Abstract

The Corporation is placing increased emphasis on the importance of performance measures as both a program management tool and a means by which to communicate program impact. Outcome measurement is also becoming increasingly common among nonprofit organizations in general. This effective practice, excerpted from the User's Guide to Evaluation for National Service Programs developed by Project STAR, addresses how best to write a report after data has been collected.

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Issue

Reports can range from informal talks on the results of your evaluation to formal progress reports. But unless that information is put into an accessible format — for both internal and external stakeholders — the effort you have put into evaluation may be lost.

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Action

According to Project STAR, the three phases of reporting are planning, writing, and reviewing. Steps to take include:

Plan Your Report

• Before writing, ask yourself the following questions: Who is the individual or group that needs the report? Effective reporting is tailored to address the issues in which the user of the report is most interested. Different users want different information.

  Primary Users are the individuals that you want to use your results; these people are your chief audience and often your funders (e.g., community partners providing matching funds, state commission, and Corporation for National and Community Service.)

  Secondary users are individuals who may be associated with your program or have an interest in what you are doing (e.g., city council, internal organization, neighborhoods, and service recipients).

• What is the reader's relationship to your program? A report for a primary funder will need more lead time and effort while a report used in recruiting volunteers may be abstracted from earlier reports.
• What is the reader's primary area of concern? This information assists you to determine which of your results should be reported and how specific these points should be emphasized.
• Is this a required report? If so, list the type of report and the date the report needs to be completed. This information allows you to plan how much time to allocate for each report.
• What information does this audience want? For example, a primary funding source wants information on the outcome of community service; our community partner wants information on how we strengthened their service.
• Is there any jargon you should avoid? Acronyms can be confusing and should be spelled out. Don't assume the reader knows what you are referring to.
• Does the report use language that is simple, direct, and in active tense? For example, "We find that service-learning is an effective way to teach" is better than "We found that service-learning is an effective pedagogical strategy."
• Are there examples and anecdotes you can use? Stories of real life successes often make a great impact on readers.

Turn Your Data into a Report

The following guideline provides a framework for reporting the results of your evaluation. This information should be reported for each objective. In order to report evaluation data using this format, you will need:

• A copy of your performance measures
  
• A copy of your evaluation plan
• The record of accomplishments this period (e.g., number of individuals served)
• The results of your data analysis transferred to an easy reference format (e.g., in a table, or on a copy of the original instrument)
• Stories collected from members or statements from service recipients

1. Restate your objective. Re-write your complete objective (the objective statement).
2. Describe your progress toward achieving your performance measures during this reporting period. Refer to your evaluation plan to describe your activity, beneficiaries, and the number of people served. What did you do relating to this objective this period? Who did you serve or impact? How many did you serve or impact this period? Describe your desired result and indicators used to measure the desired result.
3. Note evaluation activities in which you have engaged. Refer to your evaluation plan to describe how you measured your desired result. Describe the type of instruments you used (e.g., survey, test, or observation). Describe the information from every instrument that you used. (Do not forget to report the data from baseline data collected during early reporting periods.) Describe who administered and completed each instrument. Describe to whom, as well as how, each instrument was administered. Describe which, and how many individuals, completed each instrument.
4. Describe relevant evaluation data. Describe the results of your analysis of your evaluation data. This should be related to the standard you set in your objective. What quantitative statistics did you find? What qualitative information did you find? What stories do you have that relate to your quantitative or qualitative data? Compare the results of your evaluation with the standard set in your objective. Did you meet the standard you stated in your objective? What is the importance of this statistical or qualitative information? How does this service address an existing need? (Relate to baseline data.) What does this imply about your success?
5. State ideas for improvement in your program, or any next steps. What do your results mean in terms of what you will do next? What improvements do you plan? Will you expand this service?

Other Ways to Report Your Data

In addition to the progress reports you write to your state commission, National Direct parent organization, or the Corporation, your evaluation data can be used to spread the word about your program's outcomes in other ways. Use your evaluation data when you:

• Design press releases
• Create member recruitment fliers
• Develop client recruitment fliers
• Develop community outreach materials
• Write grant proposals to other funding sources
• Write newsletter articles

Including evaluation data in promotional and informational materials does not mean that the materials you produce must be long and complicated. However, for each of these products, it is important to include the following information:

• A description of your activity (include how many people/sites were affected)
• Information about what changed in your service recipients
• A brief description of how you measured the change
• What this change means about your program's success

Before you begin writing your report, ask yourself:

• Do you want to send out a press release? Include evaluation data describing program successes to help inform the local or broader community about your program.
• Do you want to create a flier or other outreach materials? Target evaluation data in fliers to specific audiences.
• Do you want to write a grant proposal? Incorporate evaluation data into the text of a grant proposal to tell potential funders about your program's outcomes. Provide potential funders with information from your program that relates to their funding priorities.
• Do you want to write a newsletter? Write an article about your program's performance measures and your documented outcomes. Offer a mix of evaluation data, great stories, and pictures all related to the same objective.

Review Your Report If you can answer "yes" to the following questions, your report is complete: Does your report restate the performance measures of your program?

To determine if your report describes progress towards achieving your performance measures during this reporting period, answer the following questions:

• Does your report describe your activity?
• Does your report describe your beneficiaries?
• Does your report describe the number of people served?
• Does your report describe your desired results of the program?
• Does your report describe the indicators you used to measure your desired result?

To determine if your report notes evaluation activities in which your program has engaged, answer the following questions:

• Does your report describe how you measured your desired result?
• Does your report describe who administered the instrument?
• Does your report describe who completed the instruments?

To determine if your report describes relevant evaluation data, answer the following questions:

• Does your report describe the results of the analysis of the evaluation data? (Results relate to the standards set in your performance measures and include statistics and qualitative information.)
• Does your report describe stories that illustrate the statistics or qualitative information?
• Does your report compare the results of your evaluation with the standard set in your performance measures?

Does your report state ideas for improvement or any next steps?

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Context

The User's Guide was developed for Corporation programs before 2003 and focuses on empowerment evaluation. The Corporation is now requiring Corporation-funded programs to conduct performance measurement. However, many of the concepts are the same and the information in this User's Guide may still be helpful for many programs.

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Citation

The User's Guide to Evaluation for National Service Programs was developed by Project STAR. Each chapter focuses on evaluation tasks specific to a priority area and leads the program through a series of practical steps designed to accomplish that task. Each chapter is self-contained and programs can select only the chapters they need. If questions arise while working on a chapter, the program can call the toll-free assistance line at 1-800-548-3656.

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Outcome

Reporting results is the last but perhaps most critical step in evaluation. It lets participants and funders know what you have accomplished.

Once you have completed the analysis, you should find that you have information that provides an accurate picture of your program as well as information to make decisions about future program implementation.

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Posted On

March 9, 2005

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For More Information

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Source Documents

Related Practices

• Conducting internal outcome evaluation for program improvement
• Implementing outcome measurement: ten tips
• Training data collectors

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