The State of Evaluation 2012 report is out! Findings from our survey of a national sample paint a fascinating picture of how U.S. nonprofits use evaluation!

• 90% of organizations report evaluating their work (up from 85% in 2010)
• 100% (!) of organizations reported using and communicating their evaluation findings
• Budgeting for evaluation is still low. More than 70% of organizations are spending less than 5% of organizational budgets on evaluation
• On average, evaluation-and its close relation, research, continue to be the lowest priorities (compared to fundraising, financial management, communications, etc.)

• Readiness for Evaluation and Learning: Assessing Grantmaker and Grantee Capacity (April 2012)
• The Grantmaker's Role in Theory of Change (April 2012)
• Evaluation Capacity Building: Examples and Lessons from the Field (April 2012)

• The Colorado Trust's Advocacy Funding Strategy: Lessons Learned for Funders of Advocacy Efforts & Evaluations (May 2012)

This report provides a dual set of insights from the perspectives of both grantmakers and independent evaluators on the role of learning and accountability in grant delivery and implementation.

• New Podcast on Data Visualization: Johanna Morariu and Ann Emery were guest participants on a recent Story By Numbers podcast where they provided a user-friendly introduction to Data Visualization. Listen to Part 1 and Part 2 online.
• Information Visualization Throughout the Evaluation Lifecycle: Directors Johanna Morariu and Veena Pankaj conducted a 20-minute webinar about incorporating data and information visualization throughout the evaluation life cycle.
• Picturing Your Data is Better Than 1,000 Numbers: Data Visualization Techniques for Social Change: This video features Johanna Morariu, Beth Kanter, and Brian Kennedy presenting a panel on data and information visualization at the 2012 Nonprofit Tech Conference.
• Portfolio Evaluation vs. Grant Evaluation: In this webinar, Johanna Morariu and Ehren Reed discuss four levels of evaluation: grant-level, portfolio-level, foundation-level, and issue-level.
• Lessons Community and Smaller Foundations can Learn from the Evaluation Practices of Large Foundations: Ever wonder what the rest of us can learn from the evaluation approaches of large foundations? In this webinar Johanna Morariu and Ehren Reed provide an overview of The Packard Foundation's The Standards, an example of a comprehensive strategy and evaluation handbook.