Assessment & Evaluation

Effective Capacity Building in Nonprofit Organizations (120 page PDF) contributes to the growing national conversation about how to help nonprofits become stronger, more sustainable and better able to serve their communities. Explains the 7 elements of organizational capacity and includes a Capacity Assessment tool designed to help nonprofit staff, boards, external capacity builders and funders to identify areas of capacity that are the strongest and those that need improvement. Prepared by McKinsey & Company for Venture Philanthropy Partners in 2001.

The mission of Innovation Network, Inc. is to build the evaluation and learning capacity of nonprofits so they can better serve their communities through one-on-one consulting and coaching, in group training and workshops and on the web. Includes an online participatory evaluation to effectively self-assess operations, measure impact on the community served and improve efforts.

University of Wisconsin Extension Nonprofit Assessment Tools : Print out organizational assessment checklists in any of the following categories: strategic planning, resource development, board development, marketing, financial empowerment, social entrepreneurship, volunteer involvement, strategic alliances, or outcomes measurement.

Using the Drucker Self-Assessment Tool : The Leader to Leader Institute (formerly the Drucker Foundation) provides an online introduction to the Drucker Self-Assessment Tool, a strategic planning tool for organizations to clarify mission, define results, set goals, and develop a focused plan. The website reviews the five questions that organizations must be able to answer in order to plan effectively. The Tool can be used with or without a facilitator; for those seeking a facilitator, a database of trained facilitators in each state is available on the website.

A Basic Guide to Program Evaluation : There are numerous books....

Outcome Measurement: Showing Results in the Nonprofit Sector. Like their counterparts in the public sector, managers of nonprofit agencies are agressively measuring the outcomes of their efforts. This article (11 pages in print version) describes current activities in five important areas, offers 30 useful lessons learned, and discusses seven key challenges still to be overcome. Provided by the United Way of America.

Pillars of Accountability : A new accountability assessment tool for the nonprofit world. This free, online assessment tool was developed by the Nonprofit Risk Management Center and other partners to provide a foundation for preserving and protecting the integrity of your organization. After completing a 20 minute assessment, you will have the opportunity to create an action list to strengthen the pillars supporting the success of your nonprofit.

Standards for Excellence : An Ethics and Accountability Code for the Nonprofit Sector. The Standards are intended to describe how the most well-managed and responsibly governed organizations should, and do, operate. They provide benchmarks to determine how well an organization is fulfilling tis obligations to those who benefit from its programs, to contributors, and to the public. Created by the Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations, it can be adopted by any nonprofit.

Benchmarking : How nonprofits are adapting a business planning tool for enhanced performance, from The Grantsmanship Center Magazine.

SurveyMonkey enables anyone to create professional online surveys quickly and easily. Options include a free basic subscription that will meet the occasional needs of many organizations (as well as a fee-based, professional subscription for larger surveys or more frequent use). No long-term contract commitments are required for use.