Washington Evaluators Brown Bag by Johanna Morariu, Kat Athanasiades, and Ann Emery February 25, 2013 Nonprofits hear a lot of talk about evaluation these days—metrics and measurements, indicators and impact, efficiency and effectiveness. Everyone seems to want evaluation results—from nonprofit staff themselves to donors to board members. But there’s a gap in the conversation: What are nonprofits really doing to evaluate their work? How are they using evaluation results? Do nonprofit staff have the knowledge, skills, and resources they need to carry out effective evaluation? We answered these questions—and many others—in State of Evaluation 2012: Nonprofit Evaluation Practice and Capacity. The State of Evaluation project is the first nationwide project that systematically and repeatedly collects data from nonprofits about their evaluation practices. During the brown bag, we’ll discuss the new findings from this research. For example, we found that: 90% of organizations report evaluating their work (up from 85% in 2010); 100% of organizations reported using and communicating their evaluation findings; Budgeting for evaluation is still low—more than 70% of organizations are spending less than 5% of organizational budgets on evaluation; and, on average, evaluation—and its close relation, research—continue to be the lowest priorities for nonprofits (compared to fundraising, financial management, communications, etc.). Innovation Network is a nonprofit evaluation, research, and consulting firm. We provide knowledge and expertise to help nonprofits and funders learn from their work to improve their results. Johanna Morariu, Director, leads the work of the organization as well as projects with a broad assortment of philanthropic and nonprofit organizations. Kat Athanasiades and Ann Emery, Associates, provide project support.

1. state of evaluation 2012
EVALUATION PRACTICE AND CAPACITY IN THE NONPROFIT SECTOR
Johanna Morariu,
Kat Athanasiades,
& Ann Emery
info@innonet.org
Washington Evaluators
Brown Bag
Washington, DC
February 25, 2013

2. Welcome!
Do you have experience in the nonprofit or philanthropic fields? Tell
me more!
Based on what you know or may have heard about nonprofit
evaluation, how do you think nonprofits are doing?
Have you heard about data viz (visualization)? What do you think
about the role of data viz in evaluation?
www.stateofevaluation.org | Page 2 | #soe2012

3. Background
www.stateofevaluation.org | Page 3 | #soe2012

4. Methodology
Population of interest: U.S.-based 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations
Using GuideStar data, the sampling frame was 501(c)3 Public Charities that had
updated their IRS Form 990 in 2010 or more recently, and had provided a contact
name and email address
A total of 38,789 organizations met the criteria, and a random sample of 20,000
organizations were invited to participate in the survey
The survey was available online three weeks in August 2012 and received 567
responses from representatives of nonprofit organizations
The survey response rate calculated on complete responses was 4%
www.stateofevaluation.org | Page 4 | #soe2012

5. Comparison of Budget by Sample
www.stateofevaluation.org | Page 5 | #soe2012

6. Geographic Distribution of Respondents
www.stateofevaluation.org | Page 6 | #soe2012

7. Role of Respondents
www.stateofevaluation.org | Page 7 | #soe2012

8. Organization Age
www.stateofevaluation.org | Page 8 | #soe2012

9. Data Visualization
www.stateofevaluation.org | Page 9 | #soe2012

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Overview of Results
Purpose, Approaches, & Resourcing
Evaluation Practice
Staffing for Evaluation
Audience & Use
Barriers to Evaluation

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Overview of Results
Purpose, Approaches, & Resourcing
Evaluation Practice
Staffing for Evaluation
Audience & Use
Barriers to Evaluation

12. Overview of Results
www.stateofevaluation.org | Page 12 | #soe2012

13. Overview of Results
www.stateofevaluation.org | Page 13 | #soe2012

14. Overview of Results
www.stateofevaluation.org | Page 14 | #soe2012

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Overview of Results
Purpose, Approaches, & Resourcing
Evaluation Practice
Staffing for Evaluation
Audience & Use
Barriers to Evaluation

16. Purpose, Approaches, & Resourcing
www.stateofevaluation.org | Page 16 | #soe2012

17. Purpose, Approaches, & Resourcing
www.stateofevaluation.org | Page 17 | #soe2012

18. Purpose, Approaches, & Resourcing
www.stateofevaluation.org | Page 18 | #soe2012

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Overview of Results
Purpose, Approaches, & Resourcing
Evaluation Practice
Staffing for Evaluation
Audience & Use
Barriers to Evaluation

20. Evaluation Practice
www.stateofevaluation.org | Page 20 | #soe2012

21. Evaluation Practice
www.stateofevaluation.org | Page 21 | #soe2012

22. Evaluation Practice
www.stateofevaluation.org | Page 22 | #soe2012

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Overview of Results
Purpose, Approaches, & Resourcing
Evaluation Practice
Staffing for Evaluation
Audience & Use
Barriers to Evaluation

24. Staffing for Evaluation
www.stateofevaluation.org | Page 24 | #soe2012

25. Staffing for Evaluation
www.stateofevaluation.org | Page 25 | #soe2012

26. Staffing for Evaluation
www.stateofevaluation.org | Page 26 | #soe2012

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Overview of Results
Purpose, Approaches, & Resourcing
Evaluation Practice
Staffing for Evaluation
Audience & Use
Barriers to Evaluation

28. Audience & Use
www.stateofevaluation.org | Page 28 | #soe2012

29. Audience & Use
www.stateofevaluation.org | Page 29 | #soe2012

30. Audience & Use
www.stateofevaluation.org | Page 30 | #soe2012

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Overview of Results
Purpose, Approaches, & Resourcing
Evaluation Practice
Staffing for Evaluation
Audience & Use
Barriers to Evaluation

32. Barriers to Evaluation
www.stateofevaluation.org | Page 32 | #soe2012

33. Barriers to Evaluation
www.stateofevaluation.org | Page 33 | #soe2012

34. Related Reports
Other reports exist that measure different aspects of
evaluation in the social sector. If you’d like to take a look at
what other organizations are finding, check out these
resources:

35. Other Resources
There are many, many more papers, interviews, and tools available—
for free—through Innovation Network’s Point K Learning Center.
Check it out!
Here’s where you
can find the Point K
Learning Center on
our home page,
www.innonet.org:

36. Discussion Questions
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How do these findings fit with your professional experience?
Which findings do you find most interesting?
Are there questions you suggest we consider including next time?
How might these findings impact your work?
In your opinion, did the data visualization enhance or detract from
the presentation of findings?
What are the biggest takeaway messages for you from this work?
Based on what you know about nonprofit evaluation, how do you
think nonprofits are doing?

37. Thank You!
Johanna Morariu,
Kat Athanasiades,
& Ann Emery
info@innonet.org
@InnoNet_Eval
www.stateofevaluation.org
#soe2012