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Carter McNamara offers a document which provides guidance toward planning and implementing an evaluation process for for-profit or nonprofit programs - there are many kinds of evaluations that can be applied to programs, for example, goals-based, process-based, outcomes-based, etc.

This site at the Evaluation Center of the Western Michigan University provides evaluation specialists and users with refereed checklists for designing, budgeting, contracting, staffing, managing, and assessing evaluations of programs, personnel, students, and other evaluands; collecting, analyzing, and reporting evaluation information; and determining merit, worth, and significance. Each checklist is a distillation of valuable lessons learned from practice.
The site's purpose is to improve the quality and consistency of evaluations and enhance evaluation capacity through the promotion and use of high-quality checklists targeted to specific evaluation tasks and approaches.

This handbook from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, written in 1998, provides a framework for thinking about evaluation as a relevant and useful program tool.

Introductional material to Program Evaluation for Public Health Programs by the CDC Evaluation Working Group: Overview of most of evaluation. A comprehensive guidebook can also be found.

Evaluation of the progress and effectiveness of projects funded by the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR) has become increasingly important. Project staff, participants, local stakeholders, and decisionmakers need to know how funded projects are contributing to knowledge and understanding of mathematics, science, and technology. To do so, some simple but critical questions must be addressed:

* What are we finding out about teaching and learning?
* How can we apply our new knowledge?
* Where are the dead ends?
* What are the next steps?

Although there are many excellent textbooks, manuals, and guides dealing with evaluation, few are geared to the needs of the EHR grantee who may be an experienced researcher but a novice evaluator. One of the ways that EHR seeks to fill this gap is by the publication of what have been called "user-friendly" handbooks for project evaluation.

The first publication, User-Friendly Handbook for Project Evaluation: Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology Education, issued in 1993, describes the types of evaluations principal investigators/project directors (PIs/PDs) may be called upon to perform over the lifetime of a project. It also describes in some detail the evaluation process, which includes the development of evaluation questions and the collection and analysis of appropriate data to provide answers to these questions. Although this first handbook discussed both qualitative and quantitative methods, it covered techniques that produce numbers (quantitative data) in greater detail. This approach was chosen because decisionmakers usually demand quantitative (statistically documented) evidence of results. Indicators that are often selected to document outcomes include percentage of targeted populations participating in mathematics and science courses, test scores, and percentage of targeted populations selecting careers in the mathematics and science fields.

The current handbook, User-Friendly Guide to Mixed Method Evaluations, has been published in August 1997 and builds on the first but seeks to introduce a broader perspective. It was initiated because of the recognition that by focusing primarily on quantitative techniques, evaluators may miss important parts of a story. Experienced evaluators have found that most often the best results are achieved through the use of mixed method evaluations, which combine quantitative and qualitative techniques. Because the earlier handbook did not include an indepth discussion of the collection and analysis of qualitative data, this handbook was initiated to provide more information on qualitative techniques and discuss how they can be combined effectively with quantitative measures.

Like the earlier publication, this handbook is aimed at users who need practical rather than technically sophisticated advice about evaluation methodology. The main objective is to make PIs and PDs "evaluation smart" and to provide the knowledge needed for planning and managing useful evaluations.

Publications which are practical, easy-to-use guides designed to help Extension faculty better plan and implement credible and useful evaluations. They also may be useful to agencies or funders who are seeking assistance with realistic evaluation strategies.

The UNESCO Evaluation handbook has been prepared to further understanding among UNESCO staff and key stakeholders on what evaluation is, why it is important and who is responsible for what in the evaluation process.

Basic guide handouts designed by Gene Shackman as introduction to evaluation for those without technical backgrounds.

Evaluation can be useful, exciting and an important knowledge development tool. This evaluation guide has been developed to help make all these things happen. The goal of this evaluation guide is to provide easy-to-use, comprehensive framework for project evaluation. This framework can be used to strengthen evaluation skills and knowledge to assist in the development and implementation of effective project evaluations.

Good program evaluations assess program performance, measure impacts on families and communities, and document program successes. With this information, programs are able to direct limited resources to where they are most needed and most effective in their communities.
To help programs fulfill these goals, the Administration on Children, Youth, and Families (ACYF) has developed THE PROGRAM MANAGER'S GUIDE TO EVALUATION. The Guide explains program evaluation -what it is, how to understand it, and how to do it. It answers your questions about evaluation and explains how to use evaluation to improve programs and benefit staff and families.