Why do we conduct program evaluations? They can be time-consuming and expensive. Plus, they can make us feel vulnerable. Who has the capacity to collect and analyze all that data? What if we learn that our program isn’t working well, or worse, that it’s causing harm?
Typical Reasons to Conduct a Program Evaluation
Clients typically approach us to conduct a program evaluation for the following reasons:
- Curiosity – The organization wonders about a program’s impact. They’ve built and run the program, sometimes for years. They have captured some positive participant testimonials, but they lack comprehensive data about the program’s effectiveness.
- Requirements – A funder requires the organization to collect annual and end-of-program impact data in order to demonstrate that funds have been used to carry out the project’s intended purposes and meet the project’s objectives.
- Continuous improvement – The organization wants to improve the program and the processes through which they deliver it, and they need comprehensive feedback to know what sorts of changes to make.
- Sustainability – The organization needs additional funding to continue its program and needs data to demonstrate the program’s effectiveness to potential donors and funders.
Each is a worthy reason to conduct a program evaluation, and sometimes our reasons overlap. Yet our motivation to engage in program evaluation can wane because it can feel so laborious, even overwhelming. What if thinking about evaluation through a different lens could give us a greater sense of purpose?
Program Evaluation as Stewardship
Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines stewardship as “the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care.” When I think of stewardship, my mind immediately goes to two key passages in the Bible: the Creation narrative and the Parable of the Talents.
In Genesis 1-2, we come across what many scholars have called the cultural mandate: God’s call to us to care for and cultivate the world he created. We hear an invitation to fruitfulness in our work and wise rule over what has been entrusted to us.
In the Parable of the Talents, recorded in Matthew 25, we see a Master entrusting his wealth to his servants, leaving, and then returning to hold them accountable for the management of what they had been given.
God gives us money, human effort and ingenuity, technology, space, relationships, and time to serve people through our programs. He asks that we care for them well by using those resources wisely.
But he also holds us accountable for how we use our resources, and a program evaluation can help us understand the impact of our programs and processes. Taking the time to reflect on what is working and what is not is a form of stewardship. So is making adjustments to ensure that our programs and processes run more smoothly.
When you’re feeling weary from or overwhelmed by the prospect of conducting a program evaluation, come back to the concept of stewardship. Remember that program evaluation is part of the good work God has entrusted you to do.
