Here's how you can showcase your program's impact to funders and stakeholders using feedback and evaluation.

To showcase your program's impact to funders and stakeholders, you can use specific feedback and evaluation data. For example, in a literacy program, you might highlight that 85% of students improved their reading levels by at least one grade, based on pre- and post-program assessments. Additionally, share qualitative feedback such as a testimonial from a teacher who observed that students are more engaged and enthusiastic about reading. Combining these quantitative results with qualitative stories effectively demonstrates your program's success and impact.

Gathering feedback is so easy to forget when you're in the throes of delivering your programme of work and it's always harder to do afterwards. Try and build evaluation planning into the early stages of your project planning so you have time to identify methods that are suitable for the group you're working with and regular points throughout the programme where this feedback will be collected. Tailor your collection methods and questions to what you're evaluating against e.g. the outcomes or results you want your programme to create. Generic feedback that just says people had a nice time is not very valuable when it comes to being able to prove the benefits of your programme to funders and partners in future.

You can showcase your program's impact to funders and stakeholders by using feedback and evaluation to highlight your program's success: 1.Collect Testimonials: Gather stories from beneficiaries to illustrate personal impact. 2.Use Data: Present statistics showing improvements and outcomes. 3.Visual Aids: Use charts, graphs, and infographics for a clear, compelling presentation. 4.Regular Reports: Share periodic progress reports with concrete examples. 5.Case Studies: Provide detailed success stories demonstrating long-term benefits. Effective communication of results builds trust and encourages continued support.

Knowing what funders know about your programs is a great first step. I've used stakeholder surveys, focus groups, tours, and lunches with the ED to help gather information to shape the messaging of organization. It's important to remember that not everyone wants to understand the nitty-gritty of how things work. Most everyone wants to feel satisfied that their contribution is meaningful and can identify how they are making a difference.

I've found conducting a thematic analysis on transcripts of interviews or written feedback from participants can be useful for identifying the benefits of your programme. It also leaves room for unexpected or unintended benefits to come out. This can be as simple as highlighting and listing themes and then seeing where the correlation is. You can then use quotes from the aspects you have highlighted to illustrate the data

There are two aspects to your evaluation- your internal reflection on what worked and what didn't and why, and the narrative you present publicly. You might create an evaluation report for your own organisation that gathers together everything you have learned through the project and collates all your data and feedback. You can then draw from this to create tailored impact narratives for particular funders or stakeholders, tailoring them as the article suggests depending on the funder outcomes and focus.

I would completely agree with this. I've found graphs illustrate key stats far more effectively as a lot of people understand and remember information visually. Potential funders will be able to see the extent of an improvement or change at a glance rather than having to wade through dense text. Lead with photographs of participants where possible to bring the data to life.

As well as internal reflection and improvement, funders and stakeholders are often keen to see the learning shared. How can what you have learned through your programme evaluation be shared with others in your sector to affect greater change and improvements for the communities you work with?

Engaging Stakeholders in Program Evaluation 1. Invite stakeholders to review program data - it builds trust and ownership. 2. Discuss program impact with funders - they appreciate transparency and want to see results. 3. Involve community members in program design - their insights lead to better outcomes. 4. Celebrate successes with partners - it strengthens relationships and inspires continued support. 5. Incorporate stakeholder feedback - it demonstrates responsiveness and a commitment to continuous improvement.