Building Organizational Capacity
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EVALUATION

Evaluation measures performance against standards and targets. It enables an organization to describe the impact and value of arts programs. It also tells an organization if they are investing their resources in programs that best serve the community.

Evaluation is most effective when the areas to be evaluated are determined before the program takes place. By determining what you want to know in advance, you can assure that you have the means to collect evaluation information. There are a number of evaluation methods. Picking the right one depends on what your goal is and what outcome you expect if you are successful in meeting it. For example, if you goal is to have senior citizens attend your events, you may need to offer special discounts and color code tickets to be able to count attendance.

An organization can evaluate programs, areas of programs or aspects of the organization's operations (i.e. the artist residency, quality of visual artists at festival or the volunteer program). No matter what is to be evaluated, once you know what information you want, a method can be devised to find the information. Think of ways that you can measure your success.

Choose methods that you have the ability to do and understand. For cases where you do not have the expertise to do the evaluation or cannot be objective enough, you can seek the assistance of an outside evaluator. For example, a local marketing person could help you evaluate the effectiveness of your festival promotion. Granting agencies frequently provide artistic evaluators or funds to cover costs of outside evaluators.

Determining what outcome you expect from a program or activity helps the board establish guidelines for evaluation and define success.

The Alliance of New York State Arts Organizations has a 28-year history as New York's primary service association for community based arts and cultural organizations. The Alliance provides leadership and vision, and delivers services, resources and tools that strengthen community cultural organizations. The Alliance monitors, informs and mobilizes the field on statewide and national issues affecting the arts and assists local arts agencies in building community support and developing effective grassroots public policy.

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Mattituck, NY 11952-0096
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