Getting Started with Program Evaluation

Created by the Georgia Council for the Arts, this guide provides a useful entry for local and state arts agencies and arts organizations newly interested in evaluation.  The guide is designed not only as an introduction to evaluation, but to demonstrate how evaluation can be used as an internal learning tool within an organization to help manage programs, spend funds wisely, and assist constituents and potential investors to better understand their work.

The short guide is framed by small sections to help practitioners easily navigate methods and suggestions best suited for their needs. Headings include: “Why Evaluate,” “Advice for Beginners,” “What Is Data and Where Do I Get It,” “Can Arts Really Be Measured,” and “Evaluation Frameworks,” which includes Rubrics and Logic Models as primary examples. The final section of the guide outlines eight resources to help organizations beginning their evaluative work.

This guide aims to invite creative thinking and encourages practitioners to use evaluation to tell their story in authentic and compelling ways.