ONLINE COURSE
Powerful Evidence:
Making Evaluation Practical and Easy for Community & Nonprofit Professionals
A practical, easy course for community and nonprofit professionals who need to collect, understand, and communicate evidence as part of their work.
What’s included:
7 Modules + 1 Bonus Module
5+ Hours of Guided Video Content
80+ Page Workbook
If you work in community-based or nonprofit settings, evaluation is likely part of your reality, whether or not it’s in your job title and part of your skillset.
Yet many people are asked to do this without training, context, or support.
As a result, evaluation can feel confusing, intimidating, or disconnected from day-to-day work
You may be asked to:
Show impact to funders or partners
Participate in evaluation projects designed by others
Asked to design and evaluation for your organization
Use data to inform decisions
Talk about “evidence” in reports or meetings
This online course is designed for people who engage with evaluation as part of their work, even if they don’t see themselves as evaluators.
By the end of this course, you’ll be able to:
Understand core evaluation concepts in plain language
Ask better questions about data, methods, and findings
Recognize different types of evidence and how they’re used
Apply evaluation thinking to strengthen programs and decisions
Participate more confidently in evaluation conversations
Communicate results more confidently
Explore the Course Highlights
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Build a strong foundation and shared understanding of evaluation
In this module, you’ll:
Clarify why evaluation matters for your work and context
Get oriented to how the course is structured and how to use it
Learn the core language of evaluation so conversations feel less intimidating
By the end of this module, you’ll feel grounded and ready to move forward with a clearer understanding of what evaluation is and why it matters.
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Learn how to plan an evaluation that makes sense for your organization
In this module, you’ll:
Understand the key steps in the evaluation process
Learn how Ttheory of Cchange and Llogic Mmodels support clarity and focus
Practice asking strong evaluation questions
Define meaningful indicators
Build a practical evaluation plan you can actually use
By the end of this module, you’ll be able to map out an evaluation approach that aligns with your goals, capacity, and context.
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Choose appropriate methods and collect data with confidence
In this module, you’ll:
Understand what data to collect and why
Learn how to choose the right data collection methods
Explore the differences between quantitative and qualitative data
Learn best practices and common pitfalls in data collection
Consider data management realities and limitations
By the end of this module, you’ll feel more confident selecting and using data collection approaches that fit your work.
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Design and use surveys more effectively
In this module, you’ll:
Learn the fundamentals of survey design
Understand how to collect survey data responsibly and effectively
By the end of this module, you’ll be better equipped to use surveys as a useful, not frustrating, evaluation tool.
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Learn how to gather meaningful insights from people’s experiences
In this module, you’ll:
Explore focus groups and listening sessions
Learn how to conduct key informant interviews
Understand when and why qualitative approaches are most useful
By the end of this module, you’ll feel more comfortable collecting qualitative data in ways that respect participants and generate useful insights.
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Make sense of data without advanced technical skills
In this module, you’ll:
Learn simple, practical approaches to qualitative analysis
Explore basic quantitative analysis concepts
Practice justifying conclusions based on evidence
By the end of this module, you’ll be able to interpret findings and explain what the data is and is not telling you.
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Turn evaluation findings into learning and action
In this module, you’ll:
Learn how evaluation can support a learning culture in your organization
Explore ways to engage colleagues with data
Practice prioritizing findings and taking action
By the end of this module, you’ll be better equipped to use evaluation as a tool for learning, reflection, and improvement, not just reporting.
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Communicate findings in ways that resonate
In this bonus module, you’ll:
Learn how to identify and share success stories
Practice telling your evaluation story clearly and effectively
By the end of this module, you’ll be more confident communicating results to funders, partners, and stakeholders.
Sneak Peek at Course Workbook!
This course is a strong fit if you:
Work in nonprofits, community organizations, or mission-driven initiatives
Engage with evaluation as part of your role (formally or informally)
Want to feel more confident using evidence in your work
Have limited time and need tools that are realistic and adaptable
Are looking for clarity, not complexity
This course may not be a strong fit if you:
Are seeking advanced statistical or methodological training
Already work as a professional evaluator
Want a highly academic or theory-heavy experience
Looking for advanced evaluation skills
“Dr. Ann Price and Associates makes the evaluation process easy- from helping identify the tools needed to collect data all the way to data analysis and program recommendations. The CES team is responsive and always willing to go above and beyond for their clients. Their attentiveness to detail in the evaluation field is impeccable. As someone who was intimidated by logic models, Dr. Price was always willing to explain (and re-explain) logic models. I highly recommend working with the CES Team for any of your community evaluation needs!”
Lindsey Shadburn Simpson, MS, CPS Prevention Coordinator, Forsyth County Schools
Meet the Course Instructor
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Dr. Ann Price
Dr. Ann Price is a Community Psychologist and evaluator and is President of Community Evaluation Solutions, Inc. a consulting firm she founded in 2004. Much of Ann’s work is with community coalitions and nonprofits with a focus on systems change.
Ann and her team conduct evaluations in many areas including community coalitions, mental health, youth substance abuse prevention, youth development, foster care advocacy, disability advocacy, education, nutrition, and public health. Ann is an active member of the American Evaluation Association (AEA) and the Atlanta Affiliate of AEA. She conducts workshops and training throughout the country on coalition development, coalition evaluation, community engagement, and evaluation capacity. She is a regular presenter at the national conferences including the American Evaluation Association Conference. Ann is known for making the evaluation process easy to understand and uses a participatory approach to build clients’ confidence and capacity.
Her work is published in several peer-reviewed journals on topics related to coalitions as a mechanism for social change, success stories, prevention, and evaluation. Her book with co- author Dr. Susan Wolfe, Community Consulting: A Practical Guide to Collaborating with Communities was published in March 2023 by Cambridge Press. She has a podcast called
Community Possibilities where she speaks to community leaders doing the hard work of community and systems change.
FAQs
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The online course is a self-guided learning experience with a total of 7 Modules + 1 Bonus Module, 5+ Hours of Guided Video Content, and a course workbook.
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This course is intended to teach how to evaluate your impact through a strategic lens that empowers you to think like an evaluator while setting up systems, technologies, and methods to build your capacity for evaluation.
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Unlike many evaluation courses, this course emphasizes clarity, accessibility, and use in real-world settings. The focus is on understanding and applying evaluation in ways that support learning and improvement.
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That’s no problem! Community Evaluation Solutions offers customized services for organizations. Get in touch to tell us more about your goals.
The great work you’re doing deserves to be recognized; let's ensure the world sees it.
Dive into our course today—where every lesson is a step towards helping you transform insights into success stories.