About Evaluation

How You Can Benefit from Evaluation

Applied research and program evaluation offers many benefits to organizations. Before undertaking a research or evaluation, it helps to have a clear understanding of how you hope to benefit, so that appropriate research questions can be formed and appropriate methods selected.

Supporting Accountability

Evaluation can support accountability for program performance and spending by providing information for stakeholders. In particular, funders often request information about program performance as a requirement for continued funding.

Making Sound Decisions

Evaluation is frequently conducted because people need solid evidence to inform important decisions. The evidence produced by an evaluation can help you:

set or review program goals, priorities, and direction;
put your resources where they will be most effective;
improve program design;
improve program implementation; and
make a program more cost effective.

Evaluation can also support effective management practices by determining when it is appropriate to evaluate, and by setting up systems to monitor program performance on an ongoing basis.

Building Knowledge and Skills

Evaluation can increase your knowledge and understanding of:

your program and/or organization;
the strengths, resources, and needs of your client group; and
effective practices and programs.

When research is done in a participatory way, it can also help program stakeholders learn to think more critically about programs and develop more positive attitudes toward evaluation. Depending on the extent of participation, they can also develop important skills that help them understand, use, and/or conduct evaluation.

Initiating or Supporting Social Change

Evaluation can provide the evidence needed to defend, promote, or oppose specific methods, approaches to a problem, or programs. Its results can also be used to shape public opinion. Participatory evaluation can support pluralism and democracy within a program or organization.

Building Cohesion and Collaboration

By involving program staff in the evaluation, and by opening avenues of communication, evaluation can increase consistency and communication between departments and organizations. Because it underscores what is being done right in a program, and provides a focus for future efforts, it can build pride, confidence, cohesion, and enthusiasm within program teams.

Reference: Zorzi R., McGuire M., & Perrin B. (2002). Evaluation benefits, outputs, and knowledge elements. [Available on-line] consultation.evaluationcanada.ca.Canadian Evaluation Society.

Next: Links to Program Evaluation Organizations