Research and Evaluation

Evaluation tools for family-run organizations

Evaluation is an important and effective tool in supporting the mission, vision and work of family-run organizations. Below you will find resources to learn more about using evaluation and evaluative thinking In addition to materials of the National Federation, you will find tools and measures shared by our chapters and state organizations.

Evaluation is

—a systematic inquiry in search of the “truth” about the value or usefulness of something. The fact that it requires careful planning, high quality methods, time to gather the data (information) and resources to analyze and interpret the data (figure out what it means) causes it be expensive and time consuming.

Family-run organizations should build evaluation capacity into their budgets. The ability to put solid evaluation results in grant proposals, annual reports and advocacy efforts makes a family-run organization far more likely to succeed and to sustain.

With our without the capacity to conduct evaluation, all family-run organizations should be using evaluative thinking.

Evaluative Thinking is

—is different from our usual ways of knowing, different from intuition or opinion. Evaluative Thinking requires that you

1. understand your own assumptions;
2. consider all the facts available to you (even the ones you don’t want to consider);
3. be extremely clear and detailed;
4. know what you don’t know (or what information is missing in your picture);
5. be willing to get information you don’t have.

It is about precision: being specific and exact in your ideas, thoughts, words and explanations.

As a warm-up in evaluative thinking, take a moment to define what you mean when you use the term family involvement. Practice evaluative thinking by yourself or with you team by working on an explanation of family involvement that perfectly describes what it would look like if it were implemented the way you want it to be.

Elements of Evaluative Thinking

Be CLEAR:
be specific about what you’re looking at, how you’re looking at it and why you’re looking at it

Be SPECIFIC:
have an accurate, detailed and concise sense of what you are trying to explain

Be INTENTIONAL:
Say what you mean, and mean what you say; know where you want to go and why

Be ACCOUNTABLE:
carry out what you have set out to understand; consider possible contingencies

Be FOCUSED:
decide on main concerns, define the purpose, and stay centered in your thinking

Source:  Michael Quinn Patton (2008) Utilization-Focused Evaluation, 4th Edition

Why is Evaluative Thinking Important to Family Run Organizations?

Evaluative Thinking is critical to Family-Run Organizations. In order to effectively solve problems, make decisions, or decide in a reasonable and reflective way what to believe or what to do, you must be using Evaluative Thinking to truly achieve success.  This way of thinking is crucial to improving the quality of life for families and moving forward in the family movement. Here are just some of the ways that Evaluative Thinking can help family-run organizations:

Evaluative Thinking Helps to:

• raise vital questions and challenges
• frame questions and challenge clearly and precisely;
• gather and assess relevant information,
• interpret information/data effectively
• arrive at well-reasoned conclusions and solutions,
• think on a broader and more open-mindedly level
• communicate more effectively with others

Check out these great tools you can use!

• Family-to-Family Network Analysis: Assessing connectedness in your community – English

• Family-to-Family Network Analysis: Assessing connectedness in your community – Spanish

• Samples shared by UPLIFT in Wyoming
  • UPLIFT Annual Report 2007
  • Client Information Intake Form
  • Family Feedback Form
  • Family Skills Assessment at Intake Form
  • Monthly Outreach and Advocacy Reporting Form