“We’re building the plane while flying it!” This sensation is equal parts exhilaration and overwhelm.
When you receive grant funds to launch a new program, you want and sometimes need to begin quickly. You’ve told the funder you would launch the program in Year 1, and you want to be true to your word and a good steward of the resources they have given you. Hire the staff, develop the curriculum, recruit the participants, and go. Who has time to think about evaluation?
To extend the flying metaphor, program evaluation is like your airplane’s instrument panel. It gives you regular, consistent feedback to help you stay on course.
It’s tempting to leave program evaluation to the end of the year, right before you have to deliver your annual report. But we recommend designing your evaluation strategy early in the life of your program. Thoughtful program evaluation planning can help you collect program and process data at strategic moments throughout the year so that you can gather close to real-time feedback and make necessary adjustments as you continue to implement your key activities and strive toward making your desired impact.
Designing and implementing a program evaluation strategy can give you peace of mind as you launch your program.
