1. Doing Quality Evaluation While Surviving the Funding Crisis
Roundtable Presentation 461
Conference Room 1
Thursday, November 3, 2001
4:30 PM- 6:00 PM
(First 45 Minutes)
Cynthia A. Tananis, Ed.D.
Associate Professor,
University of Pittsburgh

2. Abstract
How do you identify and develop evaluation projects when funding opportunities are tight? How do you manage evaluation work on a limited budget? How do you produce quality evaluation work with decreasing resources? The Collaborative for Evaluation and Assessment Capacity (CEAC) is a University-based evaluation center that works with clients in human services and education sectors to design and perform evaluation. We have experienced a number of clients (old and new) who are struggling to fund their operations/programs. As they experience increasing financial restraints, evaluation resources are often the first line to be cut in the budget. How can we work with clients to continue to provide high-quality evaluation with fewer dollars --- and maintain the infrastructure to maintain that quality as an evaluation organization? This session presents some strategies we have considered and implemented and opens the floor for discussion among colleagues. This roundtable will be of interest to independent contractors, evaluation units in academic settings, and any evaluator working with not-for-profit clients. 2

3. Some Strategies to Consider
The MSP of SWPA is one of seven comprehensive partnership projects funded by the NSF in 2003 which means it is addressing both science and mathematics in Kindergarten through 12th grade.
The project includes 53 school districts, 4 IHEs and 4 regional educational service agencies known as Intermediate Units.
The NSF supports 45 of the 53 with the other 8 districts supported by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
The MSP is managed by the Allegheny Intermediate Unite, the central IU representing also the greatest density of school districts in the region.
Total enrollment in the MSP school districts is 114,000 students with approximately 3,800 teachers who teach math and science topics.

4. Refining Existing Services
To be more efficient:
Focusing on labor/money intensive aspects of business:
Ex: Full reports to summaries or videos or presentations

5. Reframing Existing Services
What you need vs. what we do:
Ex: Survey development to needs assessment (tools to processes needed)
Ex: Conflict resolution from data provision for decision-making (client needs first)
Confirm name of AIU Evaluation Team

6. Extending Existing Services
To better align with client needs:
Ex: “Evaluation” becomes “fine-tuning based on quality information” by extending the role of the evaluator to lead action discussions from evaluation findings

7. Expanding Services Provided
To better align with client needs:
Ex: Self-evaluation modules (online and otherwise); Evaluation training to build capacity

8. Creative Marketing
Marketing refined, reframed, extended, and expanded services to new client bases --- to find new clients
Ex: Rewarding existing clients with continuing and new contracts
Ex: Featuring long-term, larger, referring clients on your website
Ex: Encouraging referrals and networking through discounts, add-ons, “thank yous”

9. Ex: Funding opportunity sourcing, funding information clearinghouse
Creative Resourcing
Ex: Funding opportunity sourcing, funding information clearinghouse
Ex: Seeding the evaluation pump with small startup opportunity grants
Ex: Becoming the PI Pump
Ex: Partnering similar clients to better enable them to seek/get funding
Ex: Staffing
Partnership opportunities
Consulting opportunities
Outsourcing some functions

10. Creative Managing
Ex: Redistributing work for best efficiency
Ex: Sharing work functions differently for effectiveness/efficiency
Ex: Flexibility and agility
Ex: Feed the strengths
Ex: Eliminate the weaknesses
Ex: Capitalize on turns as “opportunities”

11. Creative Spending
Ex: Pull in the belt on unnecessary expenses
Ex: Schedule investments (capital and other) appropriately with an eye toward timing and future needs
Ex: Focus on the core
Ex: Opportunities for cost sharing or reductions

12. Additional Thoughts
Learn from other businesses and sectors
Remember your friends and help them remember you!

13. Contact Information Cynthia A. Tananis, Ed.D. Director Collaborative for Evaluation and Assessment Capacity   Associate Professor Administrative and Policy Studies, School Leadership Senior Research Fellow Institute for International Studies in Education  Faculty Associate Center for Race and Social Problems WWPH – School of Education University of Pittsburgh  Pittsburgh, PA   (voice) (fax)