I recently read an interesting article by David Henderson from Idealistics Inc., who tweeted the question “if you had to choose between an evaluator or a marketer for your #nonprofit org, which would you pick and why?” His blog post about responses he received shed light on the perspective many non-profits approach the decision of hiring an evaluator.
For non-profits, donations are key. Without them, there will not be funds to execute initiatives and programs and the organization might as well not exist. Because of their organizational rolls, marketing professionals are more closely linked to the revenue side of the equation than evaluators who are program related and sometimes are viewed as an unneeded expense. Henderson points out that a recent study of non-profits showed that the only activity which was a lower priority for non-profits than evaluation is research.
Many non-profits assume their model is working and they are making a impact. While their support is often anecdotal they would rather put their limited funds into programs and do not see the need to “prove” their success. If an organization approaches their work with this assumption, an evaluator only poses a threat. What if their findings do not align to your assumptions?
Is this the best approach for the long term success of your organization? Marketing is important to get your name out and increase donations, but donors are starting to prefer organizations which evaluate their work to make them the most effective they can be. Check out his post for his thoughts on the topic as well.