Ask Nicole Archives - Nicole Clark Consulting

2 Apr, 2025

Ask Nicole: How We Use Evaluation Every Day

By Nicole Clark, LMSW|2025-04-02T15:22:15-04:00April 2nd, 2025|Categories: Research & Evaluation|Tags: Ask Nicole, program evaluation|0 Comments

When people hear “evaluation,” they often picture something dry, technical, and reserved for experts—maybe even a little intimidating. It sounds like one of those tedious processes filled with jargon and reports no one really reads.

In reality, we’re evaluating all the time. From the meals we cook to the shows we watch, we’re constantly assessing what works, what doesn’t, and what to do next.

Evaluation isn’t just a professional tool—it’s a part of how we live, make decisions, and improve things around us.

Here are 8 everyday experiences that show how evaluation shows up in your daily life:

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5 Mar, 2025

Ask Nicole: Participant Dropout (and What Your Program Can Learn From It)

By Nicole Clark, LMSW|2025-03-25T16:23:59-04:00March 5th, 2025|Categories: Workshop, Program, & Curriculum Design|Tags: Ask Nicole, program design, Program Outreach, Program Participants|0 Comments

Ask Nicole blog post image featuring Nicole Clark with the title 'Participant Dropout (and What Your Program Can Learn from It)'. This post explores the three most common reasons for participant dropout. — Have a question you’d like to be featured? Let me know.

Participant dropout from your program (or service, training, or campaign) sucks.

We design and launch a program, hoping to reach those who will benefit most. And yet—despite our best efforts, participant dropout happens.

While it’s frustrating, participant dropout is normal. Instead of seeing it as a problem to fix, it’s a natural part of programming, and something you can learn from.

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5 Feb, 2025

Ask Nicole: How Can I Make My Grant Application Stand Out to Funders?

By Nicole Clark, LMSW|2025-02-05T10:09:37-05:00February 5th, 2025|Categories: Strategic Planning & Sustainability|Tags: Ask Nicole, Funding, Grant Applications, program design, program evaluation|0 Comments

Have a question you’d like to be featured? Let me know.

Spring grant cycles are just around the corner, and if you’re a nonprofit leader, you know that competition for funding is fierce.

A rushed or incomplete application can cost you funding, while a well-prepared, data-backed proposal increases your chances of securing the resources you need.

In this month’s Ask Nicole, we’ll go over a simple but effective grant readiness checklist so you can confidently apply for spring funding.

Before you hit ‘submit’, make sure your organization is fully prepared.

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8 Jan, 2025

Ask Nicole: Aligning Program Goals With The School Year

By Nicole Clark, LMSW|2025-01-07T17:26:16-05:00January 8th, 2025|Categories: Workshop, Program, & Curriculum Design|Tags: Academics, Ask Nicole, program design, School|0 Comments

Whether you’re running a K-12 after-school tutoring program or a college-level leadership initiative, aligning your goals with the academic calendar can be game changing.

The school year is full of built-in milestones—like holiday breaks, midterms, and the start of new semesters—that naturally shape your planning and communication. Depending on how the program is structured (whether it’s year round or semester based), you have enough flexibility to be in tune with your school’s schedule, making it easier to pivot when surprises pop up, without losing sight of what you set out to accomplish.

Here are some tips for adjusting your program goals to the school schedule, and how you can use the school year as a framework to stay on track to meet your program goals.

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3 Sep, 2024

Ask Nicole: Balancing Participant Feedback & Staff Capacity

By Nicole Clark, LMSW|2024-12-23T14:42:45-05:00September 3rd, 2024|Categories: Workshop, Program, & Curriculum Design|Tags: Ask Nicole, program design, program evaluation, staff capacity|0 Comments

Have a questions you’d like to be featured? Let me know.

In order to evaluate a program, I start by speaking to staff in charged of running the program.

This helps me understand why the program exists, the ideal participants, program goals, activities, outreach, etc. This helps to develop an evaluation process that’s appropriate to the program’s goals.

This process also helps in providing programmatic recommendations. Even though participant feedback is key to program improvements, so is understanding staff capacity to make these changes.

Navigating grantee-funder relationships while staying true to your mission is complex.

Similarly, it can be a balancing act when staff have to prioritize program participant feedback.

Here are five recommendations to help programmatic staff balance participant feedback with their capacity to implement changes:

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Ask Nicole: How We Use Evaluation Every Day

Ask Nicole: Participant Dropout (and What Your Program Can Learn From It)

Ask Nicole: How Can I Make My Grant Application Stand Out to Funders?

Ask Nicole: Aligning Program Goals With The School Year

Ask Nicole: Balancing Participant Feedback & Staff Capacity

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