2 Apr, 2025

Ask Nicole: How We Use Evaluation Every Day

By |2025-04-02T15:22:15-04:00April 2nd, 2025|Categories: Research & Evaluation|Tags: , |0 Comments

Portrait of Nicole Clark with text overlay: “Ask Nicole: How We Use Evaluation Every Day” promoting a blog post on how we use evaluation every day in real life.
Have a question you’d like to be featured? Let me know.

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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26 Feb, 2025

Beyond the Grant Award: Setting Up Evaluation Systems for Long-Term Success

By |2025-02-26T09:56:59-05:00February 26th, 2025|Categories: Strategic Planning & Sustainability|Tags: , , |0 Comments


Congratulations!

Landing a grant feels great—it’s validation that your work matters and your approach is solid. But the work doesn’t stop when the money arrives. In fact, securing funding is just the beginning.

Building sustainable evaluation practices helps your organization measure progress, stay on top of program updates, and be positioned for future funding opportunities.

Ready to turn your grant into lasting success? Let’s dive into setting up evaluation systems designed for the long haul.

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12 Feb, 2025

From Data to Dollars: Using Program Evaluation to Strengthen Your Grant Application

By |2025-02-12T11:20:11-05:00February 12th, 2025|Categories: Strategic Planning & Sustainability|Tags: , , |0 Comments


You’ve made sure your work and your prospective funder’s priorities are aligned, and crafted a strong grant application.

But if you really want to stand out and secure funding, your program’s evaluation data needs to shine.

You don’t want to make promises—you want to show proof.

By effectively using data to showcase impact, you’re turning numbers into compelling evidence, improving your chances of getting the funding you need.

Let’s explore how to use program evaluation to take your grant applications from data to dollars.

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5 Feb, 2025

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

By |2025-02-05T10:09:37-05:00February 5th, 2025|Categories: Strategic Planning & Sustainability|Tags: , , , , |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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3 Sep, 2024

Ask Nicole: Balancing Participant Feedback & Staff Capacity

By |2024-12-23T14:42:45-05:00September 3rd, 2024|Categories: Workshop, Program, & Curriculum Design|Tags: , , , |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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