Program evaluations are important in assessing the progress and necessary improvements needed in any volunteer organization. Evaluations are valuable to program and volunteer managers that are concerned about the state of their organization. Evaluations will allow the organization to determine if they are meeting the needs of their clientele and the success of each individual program.
Evaluations of programs will provide program managers, leaders, and supporters with information that will allow them to rate the successes of their programs. In many cases, evaluations provide supervisors or funding sources with the necessary information to determine whether programs are meeting the desired goals and expectations of the community and its participants. Here is a great resource for understanding why there is a great emphasis on program evaluation.
The text in Chapter 11 supports the need for program evaluations by stating, “The easiest day-to-day approach to defining the concept of evaluation is to equate it with the concept of measuring” (Seel P.318). The main purpose of program evaluations is to measure the progress and success of the organization. The text also suggests that this process is important to participants and volunteers because it can give them the opportunity to provide honest feedback. In many instances, participants are hesitant to be truthful in their responses concerning the program, because they do not want to hurt anyone’s feeling or have them think they do not appreciate what is going on. Anonymous feedback can prove to be more effective when gathering information about the organization because the participants are able to provide in depth reflection of their experience.
Organizations that provide programming need to consider and implement a proper evaluation plan. The most important facet of evaluation is assessing the needs and expectations of programming and ensuring that these programs are entirely effective. Evaluations may also provide the program managers and staff with new insight and feedback that they would not have thought of from the planning perspective. When dealing with shareholders and various partnerships, those that invest monetary or other donations want to see that their investment to your program is being used appropriately. The evaluation concept applies especially for youth development professionals such as myself, because investors are likely to assist with bettering our youth and providing new opportunities. Evaluations measure impacts of the program but also require accountability to be accepted and taken seriously. In order to ensure continuous support and funding for programs an adequate program evaluation system is a necessity for non-profit organizations especially since they rely on donations and investments to fund future programs.