The evaluation practices of US international NGOs

Abstract

Despite the growing interest in performance measurement and evaluation of international NGOs (INGOs), little is known about actual INGO evaluation practices. The present article, based on a survey of 38 US INGOs, examines the process of evaluation practice, as well as the purposes and dissemination of the results. The findings on evaluation purpose, dissemination of results, and formal feedback mechanisms suggest that INGOs typically develop stronger formal accountability measures for donors and staff-members than for beneficiaries. The findings also indicate that many INGOs consider evaluation as an opportunity for organisational learning and for improving their performance. Many of the difficulties identified by respondents in conducting evaluations are consistent with previous literature.

Les pratiques d'évaluation des ONG internationales des États-Unis

Malgré l'intérêt croissant que suscitent la mesure et l'évaluation des performances des ONG internationales (ONGI), on ne sait pas grand-chose sur les pratiques d'évaluation véritablement employées par les ONGI. Le présent article, fondé sur une enquête menée parmi 38 ONGI des États-Unis, examine le processus de l'évaluation en pratique, ainsi que les finalités et la diffusion des résultats. Les observations concernant la finalité de l'évaluation, la diffusion des résultats et les mécanismes formels de retour d'information suggèrent que les ONGI mettent généralement au point des mesures formelles de redevabilité plus robustes pour les bailleurs de fonds et les membres du personnel que pour les bénéficiaires. Les résultats indiquent par ailleurs que de nombreuses ONGI estiment que l'évaluation est une occasion d'apprentissage organisationnel et d'amélioration de leurs performances. Nombre des difficultés identifiées par les personnes interrogées au moment de mener les évaluations sont conformes aux documents précédents sur ce thème.

As práticas de avaliação das ONGs internacionais dos EUA

Apesar do interesse cada vez maior na mensuração de desempenho e avaliação de ONGs internacionais (ONGIs), pouco se sabe sobre as práticas efetivas de avaliação das ONGIs. O presente artigo, baseado em uma pesquisa com 38 ONGIs dos EUA, examina as práticas de avaliação e também os propósitos e disseminação dos resultados. Os resultados referentes aos objetivos da avaliação, disseminação dos resultados e mecanismos formais de feedback sugerem que tipicamente as ONGIs desenvolvem medidas formais de prestação de contas mais efetivas para os doadores e funcionários do que para os beneficiários. Os resultados da pesquisa também indicam que muitas ONGIs consideram a avaliação uma oportunidade de aprendizado organizacional e de melhoria de seu desempenho. Muitas das dificuldades identificadas pelas pessoas consultadas na condução das avaliações são consistentes com a literatura existente.

Los métodos de evaluación de las ONG internacionales de EEUU

A pesar del creciente interés en la medición del rendimiento y en la evaluación de las ONG internacionales (ONGI), poco se sabe sobre las prácticas específicas de evaluación que utilizan. Este ensayo, basado en una encuesta realizada a 38 ONGI de EEUU, examina sus procesos de evaluación, así como sus objetivos y la difusión de los resultados. Los resultados derivados de las evaluaciones, su difusión y los mecanismos formales de retroalimentación apuntan a que en general las ONGI establecen medidas formales de transparencia más sólidas para sus donantes y trabajadores que para los beneficiarios. Las encuestas también revelan que para muchas ONGI las evaluaciones representan oportunidades para el aprendizaje institucional y para mejorar su rendimiento. Las personas encuestadas identificaron dificultades para realizar evaluaciones, dato que coincide con investigaciones previas.

Keywords:

• Aid
• Methods

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jiyoung Kang

Jiyoung Kang is a PhD candidate at the School of Social Work, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Before entering PhD study, Jiyoung Kang worked in several NGOs in South Korea. She has been conducting research on the development of NGOs and their evaluation practice.

Steven G. Anderson

Steven G. Anderson is an associate professor at the School of Social Work, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, who has conducted research on a variety of issues related to access to social services by disadvantaged families. He also teaches and is engaged in research on different models of service provision, including service delivery by non-profit organisations. <[email protected]>

Dan Finnegan

Dan Finnegan is Associate Director of the School of Social Work, San Diego State University, and conducts research on the design and implementation of information evaluation and management systems in human service agencies. He also has considerable experience in the actual design and implementation of such service-based information systems. <[email protected]>