Strengthening the evaluation capacity of nonprofits in Montgomery County

Nonprofits are often asked, “how do you know your work makes a difference?” As staff, we may see the difference in our clients over time, and may know intuitively that our work is impactful. But it can be challenging to quantify the difference and answer the question: “what are your outcomes?”

Nonprofit Montgomery’s MORE training will help nonprofits learn about evaluation, and offer a deep dive into measuring impact and gauging program effectiveness. MORE will help organizations develop strategic approaches to data collection and analysis, and guide them in developing metrics to analyze program outcomes to improve service delivery. Participants will develop their skills and make concrete plans to measure the results of their work. MORE is for nonprofit organizations located in or serving the residents of Montgomery County.

Spring 2024 cohort dates (in-person):

  • Session I: March 5 from 9:30 am to 2:30 pm
  • Session II: March 6 from 9:30 am to 2:30 pm
  • Capstone: April 11 from 9:30 am to 12:00 pm

Location: Main Street Connect, 50 Monroe Place, Rockville, MD 20850. Main Street is located at 50 Monroe Place in Rockville, Maryland – 500 feet from the Rockville Metro station and bus transportation.

Participating organizations are asked to commit to:

  • Complete an online pre-assessment (one per organization)
  • Attend the three in-person program days (3/6, 3/7, and 4/11) as a team of up to four, including the executive director or senior staff, program director, staff member responsible for data or development director, or board member.
  • Attend a virtual, one-hour consultation session with Sharp Insight for a customized evaluation session to advance the work of your organization
  • Work on an evaluation plan, logic model or other evaluation tool resource in between the trainings.

Please register as a group of four:

  1. Executive Director/CEO or Senior Leader
  2. Program Director
  3. Staff Member in charge of Evaluation/Data
  4. Program Director, Development Director, Board member or other

 

MORE will strengthen your organization’s capacity to measure results by:

  • Understanding key evaluation terminology.
  • Assessing your organization’s capacity for evaluation
  • Exploring the six steps of evaluation.
  • Identifying external data and resources to strengthen evaluation efforts.
  • Engaging in meaningful dialogue about evaluation with key county funders and government leaders.

MORE is facilitated by Sharp Insight, LLC., an evaluation firm that helps mission-driven organizations measure and strengthen the quality and impact of their programs.

MORE is supported by Montgomery County Government.

MORE Alumni Evaluation Workshops (Virtual)

Register via the calendar here.

Survey Design – October 5, 2023, 10 am to 11am
Crafting the perfect survey, or even just a pretty good one, can feel like a daunting process. But what if we could refine that process? The team at Sharp Insight will review key elements to consider when approaching survey design and then walk through their survey design template.

Using Excel for Data Design – October 25, 2023, 1pm to 2pm
So you’ve sent out your survey, and now the results are coming in. Are you dreading the data entry or analysis tasks because spreadsheets can get overwhelming? Join this online workshop to learn how to tackle all that survey data in Microsoft Excel.

Using Google Docs for Data Design – November 08, 2023, 1pm to 2pm
Google Sheets should work just like a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, right? Not always. Join this online workshop to learn how to tackle all that survey data in Google Sheets.

Data Vis Intro – January 25, 2024, noon to 1pm
Don’t let those great quotes go by without sharing them! In our final session, we’ll explore multiple ways to bring life to your focus group findings, for both internal and external audiences.

Data Vis Advanced-February 8, 2024, noon to 1pm
Want to build your data visualization skills?  Join us for a one-hour online workshop where we’ll use the principles covered during our previous sessionIntro to Data Visualization, and put them to use.

Interviews-May 14, 2024, 10 am to 11 am
How do you plan for and successfully hold a successful interview series that gets you the information you need? Learn about the art of interview guide development and facilitation.