Blog topic

Program Evaluation

For nonprofits, school districts, government agencies, funders, and any organization that needs to know whether a program is working. These articles cover comparison groups, pre/post versus difference-in-differences designs, responding to funder evidence requests, and building an evaluation whose conclusions hold up.

Browse topics

All articles Study Design Program Evaluation AI Evaluation Statistical Consulting Data Literacy

Featured

{{ p.readingTime }} min read

Program Evaluation

How to Respond to a Funder's Evidence Request

3 min read

The right response depends on which tier of evidence you actually have — outputs, a pre/post number, or a real comparison. Here's how to answer honestly.

Read post →

Program Evaluation

Difference-in-Differences vs. Pre/Post: Which Comparison Does Your Program Evaluation Need?

3 min read

A pre/post number can't tell you whether your program caused the change or something else did. Here's when you need a comparison group and difference-in-differences instead — and the one case where pre/post alone is still fine.

Read post →

Program Evaluation

When Does a Program Need a Control Group?

3 min read

There's no participant-count threshold — a program needs a control group the moment you want to claim it caused an outcome, not just that the outcome happened. Here's how to tell, and what to do when a true control group isn't possible.

Read post →

Program Evaluation

What Funders Actually Expect From a Program Evaluation

2 min read

Funders don't just want to know your program happened. They want evidence it caused the outcome you're claiming — and evaluations that skip that distinction tend to lose credibility exactly when it matters.

Read post →

Study DesignProgram Evaluation

The Program That Looked Like It Worked — Until Someone Checked

3 min read

Scared Straight felt like it worked: kids were shaken, parents saw a difference, the numbers looked good. The best evidence says it made things worse. Here's why a good story keeps fooling careful people, and what to ask for instead.

Read post →

{{ p.readingTime }} min read

Read post →

Need to show your program works?

We design and run program evaluations that give funders and boards evidence they can trust.

Program evaluation services Book a free consult

← Back to all articles

Get new posts by email

One email whenever we publish something new. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.

Check your inbox — click the confirmation link to finish subscribing.

Program Evaluation

Browse topics

Featured

{{ p.title }}

{{ listHeading }}

{{ p.title }}