Building to Scale: Best Practices for Using Evaluation to Improve Programs and Increase Impact

In 2010 we organized a day-long session for the W. Clement and Jessie V. Stone Foundation to help their education grantees develop plans for quantifying their impact and supporting their growth plans. This report summarizes some of the key questions, advice and cautions from this meeting that can guide nonprofit organizations as they work to quantify their impact, the success of their programs and the reach of their services. In particular, we found that non-profits need strong program evaluation systems and the ability to manage organizational change and improvement. This is one of four annual meeting summaries that share the discussions and insights of participating grantees.