Assessment, Planning and Evaluation Group

Program Evaluation

Our external evaluation professionals have extensive experience working with organizations to develop, implement and learn from the objective assessment of their work. This process has multiple potential benefits, including:

• Developing impact measures and success stories to share with funders, community leaders, and other decision-makers
• Identifying the strengths and limitations of pilot programs prior to full implementation
• Viewing long-term initiatives with fresh eyes, identifying updates needed to better address evolving needs
• Meeting assessment requirements tied to federal, state, and private grants

The Voinovich School conducts dozens of program evaluations each year, ranging from the assessment of billion-dollar statewide initiatives to programs being conducted by a single school district, nonprofit, or health-care provider.

When selecting an external evaluator, it is important to find a partner who understands your community and context. For over 40 years, the Voinovich School has been deeply embedded in the fabric of Ohio’s communities. We understand the unique challenges and opportunities facing this region, and we are dedicated to creating solutions that are not only effective but also sustainable. We work side-by-side with local organizations, government agencies, nonprofits, and businesses to ensure that our program evaluations are rooted in the real-world needs of residents, communities, and organizations.

We are committed to evaluation best practices, staying up-to-date with the latest qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methodology approaches. Related services include assessment of program effectiveness, design of program objectives, logic models and theories of change, development of self-evaluation mechanisms, and establishment of benchmark indicators.

Finally, we believe in building lasting relationships with our clients. When you work with the Voinovich School, you are not just a project to us — you are a partner. We listen, we collaborate, and we keep you involved at every step of the process. Our evaluations are not just about providing data; they’re about providing insights that will empower your organization to make better decisions, secure funding, and advocate for the change you want to see.

Needs Assessment

Our staff regularly partner with organizations and communities to develop an objective, up-to-the-minute picture of local concerns and unmet needs. Although decision makers typically have years of experience in their field, changes happen quickly and can often be missed, particularly by those no longer working on the frontlines of an issue. Needs assessment can be an important first step to making sure planning and improvement initiatives are based on the most current information available.

Needs assessment can include:

• Analysis of census data, service records, or other agency documents
• Surveys of clients, residents, employees, or service providers
• Focus group discussions targeting specific populations
• Key informant interviews with community leaders, topical experts or other critical decision-makers

Strategic Planning

Effective strategic planning facilitates leaders, staff and other key decision makers in a process to explore how available resources can be used to respond to change in ways that improve outcomes for clients and the community. No easy task, but with our help, this effort can result in an actionable plan for unifying investment, activity, communication, and assessment towards the achievement of common goals.

Benefits of strategic planning include:

• A better understanding of the opportunities and threats facing an organization
• Increased buy-in on shared goals and tactics among leadership, staff and other decision-makers
• Enhanced efficiency as limited funding is invested in activities most likely to drive progress
• Improved ability to effectively communicate mission and impact to funders, overseers, and the public
• Reconsideration of long-held beliefs and practices that may be blocking innovation
• Greater ability to define what does – and does not – fall within the scope of the organization’s mission

Capacity Building & Consulting

Most organizations recognize that there is more that could be done to achieve their mission, but stepping back to identify and implement change can feel overwhelming. Voinovich School staff can identify areas that would benefit from improvement and work with entities to implement strategies for expanding or enhancing services.

Capacity building initiatives can include:

• Adopting a new software package to increase efficiency or automate critical data collection
• Coordinating with other regional service providers to maximize impact and minimize service duplication
• Training staff in new evidence-based intervention models or approaches
• Developing strategies to enhance communication to target populations
• Reorganizing service provision to better utilize existing strengths and skills
• Exploring best practices utilized by similar organizations throughout the country

Data Analysis and Applied Research

We help government and nonprofit agencies collect and analyze information to facilitate better decision making. This includes details about who is being served, what their unmet needs are, the changes occurring in the environment, how these changes are likely to impact the agency, and – most importantly – how to best utilize available resources to effectively and efficiently contribute to the public good.

We can assist with:

• Identifying and creating a plan to gather necessary information
• Developing and implementing data collection tools, such as custom instruments, surveys (pen and pencil or online), focus group protocols, or interviews
• Analyzing results from these or other data sources (agency records, the Census Bureau, other federal and state data sets, etc.) to answer key questions
• Utilizing these results to develop recommended improvements and best practices
• Communicating results and recommendations to key constituents via reports, data visualizations, PowerPoints, and presentations.