Level Best: How Small and Grassroots Nonprofits Can Tackle Evaluation and Talk Results

"Nonprofit organizations of all sizes must be able to measure progress toward their goals. As a fundraiser, I know how important this is in making a case for supporting the arts. Level Best not only demystifies the process of evaluation, it offers a reasonable approach that makes sense for programs with limited time, money, or staff to devote to this area."
—Eric Delli Bovi, development director, Old Town School of Folk Music, Chicago, Illinois

"We are under pressure every day—not only to perform at the highest level—but to prove that what we are doing nets the greatest possible results. Of all the resources I’ve consulted on evaluation. Level Best is the most practical, the most readable, and the most supportive. The authors understand not only how great our challenges are, but how little time we have for anything that does not address our real needs—which this book does."
—Ruth Barrett Rendler, deputy director, The Center for Victims of Torture, Minneapolis, Minnesota

"So many guides to evaluation are theoretical or academic in nature, reflecting little understanding of the operating realities of smaller or more grassroots-oriented nonprofits. The authors of Level Best know this territory intimately, and their guide to evaluation offers solid guidance, clear direction, and practical applications for effective planning and program development."
—Daranee Petsod, executive director, Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees, Sebastopol, California

"Every day I see smaller nonprofits struggling to graft onto their work evaluation procedures that in one way or another just aren’t a good match for them. The authors of Level Best have created a guide which avoids jargon and overcomplicated systems by simplifying and clarifying the process for smaller and newer groups. It will be a much-used and much-appreciated tool."
—Susannah Quem Pratt, coordinator of evaluation, Lilly Endowment’s Religion Division