How Evaluators and Development Staff Can Effectively Work Together (And What They Can Learn From The Rolling Stones)
Chances are, you’ve heard of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards…
By themselves, they’re both just 78-year-old men who happen to play music and have loads of money. But when put together, they are part of the greatest Rock and Roll Band in history, the Rolling Stones.
The reason behind their success is actually something nonprofits can learn from.
If you watch any of their live performances, there’s no question that their almost telepathic communication and chemistry are what drive their success. The Rolling Stones have been playing together for over 50 years. And yet 5 decades later, they still understand the importance of practicing together.
So what’s the lesson here?
Even the strongest teams need consistent collaboration and communication.
Their reasoning is simple:
If you want to make habits that produce excellence, you have to have a shared approach to working together.
A principle nonprofits can (and should) imitate.
Why?
Because the best teams are made up of people who combine individual drive and purpose with the power of partnership.
So evaluators and development staff…listen up!
The secret to increasing your grant support, having effective programs, and growing your fundraising efforts is simple:
Communicate regularly and intentionally collaborate.
The Role of an Evaluator
Before the Rolling Stones found their groove to success, they first had to understand each person’s specific role in the band.
So in the band of nonprofits, what roles do evaluators play?
Evaluators evaluate…plain and simple.
But for what purpose?
Evaluators help improve programs by answering questions about how programs are operating. They use data to determine whether or not programs are achieving the desired outcomes.
The data then drives the necessary judgments:
Do adjustments need to be made?
Are we accomplishing what we set out to accomplish?
What areas are working well, and what areas need improvement?
But there’s also a secondary role for evaluators – a role that’s equally important when it comes to the overall success of your nonprofit:
Partnering with development staff to provide information for grant writing and grant reporting.
But here’s the problem:
People who aren’t trained evaluators are often assigned program evaluation tasks within nonprofits.
Whether it’s chief program officers, program directors, or program coordinators, staff often have to juggle the priorities of running programs while simultaneously evaluating the program’s data.
When someone who isn’t trained in evaluation is expected to evaluate, it can negatively impact the effectiveness of grants, programs, and nonprofit success.
It would be like finding a Mick Jagger impersonator for an upcoming tour. They can do the job, but it’s a substitute for the real thing.
But here’s the good news:
You don’t have to settle for a knock-off version when it comes to program evaluation. Nor do you have to pay an arm and a leg for high-quality data analysis.
If you’re needing:
Trained evaluators to collect quality data (so your staff can do what they’re actually trained to do)
To analyze and use data in a way that drives program success (and ultimately the overall success of your nonprofit)
To make the most out of the limited data you’ve compiled (so you can honor and keep your deadlines)
Shared Services can help.
Shared Services offers expertise in Program Planning and Evaluation at a fraction of the price of hiring a contracted evaluator.
Shared Services can:
Provide a trained evaluator to analyze your program’s data
Help you figure out how to word your process and outcome goals (often referred to as indicators) based on data you actually have
Use different evaluation tools to capitalize on your nonprofit’s strengths
Align collected data with the promises made to funders
Implement surveys, focus groups, and other evaluative analytics
But there’s another critical role to consider in this band of nonprofit management:
The Role of Development Staff
Just as evaluators evaluate, development staff develop.
The development staff are responsible for fundraising through individual and corporate donors, as well as grants. Simply put, their job is to bring in dollars to your organization.
One of their most critical roles is writing grant proposals to persuade specific funders to support the nonprofit and its programs. In fact, ⅕ of all nonprofit income is derived from grants.
Grants come in all shapes and sizes: private, corporate, foundation, city, county, state, and federal. Once the grants are written, development staff are also responsible for reporting the results of how the grant money was used.
Mick Jagger and Keith Richards rely on each other to enhance the talent of each person. Similarly, development staff and evaluators should rely on each other to strengthen the final product, whether it be a grant application or grant report.
But here’s the problem:
Many times development staff write grants without talking to evaluators. And evaluators start collecting data without including development staff in the evaluation design.
If evaluators and development staff haven’t been collaborating from the beginning of the grant-writing or evaluation-design process, there’s no guarantee you’ll have the right data to report to your funders.
When it’s time for development staff to report on how the grant money was used, they’re left with insufficient data or worse, no data, to prove they stewarded the grant money appropriately.
And if you can’t provide correct information to funders, not only do you lose financial support, but you also lose credibility and trust which is oftentimes much harder to earn back.
But here’s the good news:
Better communication and more frequent collaboration are right at your fingertips. If you’re lac
If you’re needing:
Help with compiling data for compelling outcomes
Someone to write grants, or put grant reports together
Information on how to get data for grant reports
Resources to support communication and collaboration
Shared Services can help.
Shared Services can:
Write grants for you (so you can focus on your mission)
Reword grants with compelling and accurate outcomes (so funders are more inclined to support you)
Analyze and summarize data for reports (so you can prove your programs are working)
Help collect data you’re missing (so you can fulfill the promises made to your funders)
Development staff are responsible for writing the grants, and evaluators are responsible for producing the evidence for reports.
But you can’t wait until the last minute to collaborate.
4 Ways Evaluators and Development Staff can Collaborate:
1. Meet together when designing the evaluation of a program
Allow each other’s strengths to shine.
Before writing grants, development staff and evaluators should discuss what data is available and feasible. Development staff may not necessarily know how to collect the data, so evaluators can work with them to write outcome goals that can be appropriately measured.
This is a win-win that also gives the evaluator a heads up on what specific data metrics they should be collecting over the course of the grant.
2. Keep in constant communication regarding grants and reporting deadlines
If you wait until the last minute to throw your report together with the data you have, your funders will know it.
Evaluators and development staff should work together to set a schedule for data collection that aligns with grant reporting deadlines.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and your data collection won’t be either. Give evaluators enough time to compile the necessary information to accurately highlight the success of your programs.
3. Be specific on what kinds of qualitative data you need
Development staff are excellent when it comes to writing compelling stories and narratives about their organization.
A skill you’ll definitely need for successful grant writing.
But you can’t write the narrative without the facts. If you know you’ll need specific quotes when reporting satisfaction rates on your report, make sure you clearly express that ahead of time to evaluators. They can help gather that data.
4. Be a team player
When it comes to analyzing nitty-gritty data and details, evaluators truly shine.
That being said, evaluators also need to be willing to put the data together in the format development staff desires to ensure the information is used and conveyed as effectively as possible.
Similarly, development staff need to be open-minded to what the evaluation exposes (both for better and for worse).
Even the strongest teams need consistent collaboration and communication.
50 years into performing together, you’ll still find the Rolling Stones practicing together 2 months before each concert.
Can your development staff and evaluators say the same thing?
If not, don’t worry…
Shared Services Can Help Get Your Stones Rolling
Whether your nonprofit is a rolling stone gaining momentum through action, or a stagnant boulder creating obstacles for those around you, Serve Denton’s Shared Services can help.
Shared Services is designed to ignite action, increase your momentum, and capitalize the power of your team and resources.
We’ve worked with more than 25 nonprofits over the last 8 years to understand their needs and help solve their problems, including Shiloh Field, the largest community garden in the entire United States.
A project of this scale would normally cost tens of thousands of dollars at a traditional marketing firm. But by partnering with our Shared Services, they accomplished their vision at a fraction of the price. Not only did this save them money, but it freed their remaining resources to go directly to their mission: feeding hungry people.
This reality can be yours.
🌟For a limited time, Serve Denton is offering 50% off of shared services to nonprofits up to a maximum of $5,000.
These funds are limited and are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
So whether your organization has been working together for 50 years or 5 minutes, take advantage of this opportunity while funds last.
Schedule a consult and see how your nonprofit can soar.
Save time, save money, and focus on what you do best.
Let us help you with the rest.