Table 6. Examples of Evaluation Questions, Indicators and Data Sources (cont.) Evaluation Question
What facilitators exist?
What was the reach?
What were the impacts?
Examples of Indicators
Examples of Primary Data Sources
Examples of Secondary Data Sources
Communication: • Number of social media posts and interactions • Number of brochures/fliers distributed
Participant interviews or surveys
Social media analytics, existing program documents, community asset map
Partnerships • Number of partners • Types and roles of partners
Stakeholder interviews or surveys
Existing program documents, community asset map
Number of people served
Observations/Counts by evaluator
Existing program documents (collected and compiled by somebody other than evaluator)
Number of services or resources provided (e.g., classes, meals, referrals, etc.)
Observations/Counts by evaluator
Existing program documents (collected and compiled by somebody other than evaluator)
Demographics of people served
Participant survey (primary), observations/counts by evaluator (secondary)
Existing program documents (collected and compiled by somebody other than evaluator)
Change in access to health and social services; change in knowledge, attitudes, behavior • Nutrition knowledge • Consumption of fruits and vegetables • Minutes of physical activity • Perceptions of health and well-being
Participant interviews or surveys, stakeholder interviews or surveys
Existing program documents, local public data
Health outcomes • Physical • Social • Emotional • Mental
See Section 4, Part E
Existing agency/program documents, budget documents
Participant satisfaction
Participant interview or survey
Existing program documents
Part B. Assessing Resources and Capacity At this point, you should have a clear vision for the scope of the evaluation, including the purpose of the evaluation, the goals of the evaluation, specific questions to be addressed and data sources to support the evaluation. Now is the time to do a “reality check” and assess the feasibility of the evaluation plan. You will need to assess the resources needed to complete the evaluation and the availability of those resources. Three categories of resources and capacity that you should consider are: •
Staff capacity: Does your current staff have evaluation experience? Do you have collaboration partners with evaluation experience?
•
Time and budget: Do you have the financial resources for a dedicated evaluation lead? How much time do you have to prepare for conducting the evaluation?
•
Stakeholder buy-in: Do your evaluation questions represent the values and perspectives of your stakeholders?
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