DASS · DATA ANALYSIS & STATISTICAL SOLUTIONS
Nonprofit Evaluation Plan
A fictional example
This program is invented. Enrollment and timing are illustrative, not sample-size recommendations. No client results or validated instrument are asserted.
Program: An eight-week employment-support course for about 60 adults.
Purpose and users: The program manager, participant representatives, and funder will use findings to improve delivery and describe employment status three months after the course.
Design: Implementation monitoring and baseline/follow-up outcome description without a comparison group. Observed changes cannot be attributed to the program.
| Question | Measure / source | Timing | Responsible role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Are intended participants enrolling? | Eligibility and enrollment / intake records | Before course | Intake lead |
| Is delivery as planned? | Sessions delivered, attendance / logs | Weekly | Program lead |
| What is employment status? | Consistently defined self-reported status / participant questions | Intake; three months after course | Follow-up lead |
| What helps or obstructs participation? | Optional feedback on access and experience | Course end | Evaluation lead |
Analysis: Report defined denominators for enrollment, delivery, and follow-up. Describe employment transitions for people with both measurements. Examine available baseline information for those missing follow-up, state the limits of that comparison, and summarize feedback without identifying people.
Follow-up and data: Contact all enrolled participants, including those who stopped attending. Participation in follow-up is voluntary under the agreed process. Use participant codes and keep identifying contact details separately. Agree consent, access, storage, retention, deletion, and protection of small groups before collection.
Reporting and use: Prepare a findings memo and staff discussion. Include missing information and alternative explanations. Assign changes for the next cohort; assess a separate impact design if causal evidence is required.
Prepared October 10, 2026 · Adaptation resource, not a complete protocol for every program.
DASS · BLANK WORKSHEET
1. Purpose, questions, and design
Program, population, activities, and expected outcomes
Who will use the findings, and what decision will they support?
Funder requirements, reporting deadline, and assumptions linking activities to outcomes
| Question | Measure / definition | Source | Timing | Responsible person | Analysis / limitation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Design and justification: what claims can it support, and what remains uncertain?
Participant perspectives, accessibility, and collection burden
DASS · BLANK WORKSHEET
2. Data, resources, and use
Follow-up, missing information, and uncertainty in analysis
Consent, identifiers, access, storage, transfers, retention, and deletion
Reporting protection for small groups and identifying quotations
Budget assumptions
| Task | Responsible person | Estimated effort | Rate / unit cost | Direct expenses | Assumptions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Planning | |||||
| Collection / follow-up | |||||
| Preparation / analysis | |||||
| Reporting / discussion |
Deliverables, dates, interpretation meeting, and person assigning next actions
Plan approval date and changes to document
Planning resource: CDC: Focus the evaluation questions and design. DASS services: statisticalsolutions.org/program-evaluation.