So what? Who cares? How to ensure your evaluation results are useful

So what? Who cares? These are the two most important questions you can ask yourself before evaluating your mobile clinic’s programs.

On Thursday, February 16, we hosted the Evaluation + Impact special interest group along with the Mobile Healthcare Association.

So what? Why bother evaluating your mobile clinic’s programs?

Asking “so what?” leads you think about what you hope to do with the evaluation results. Ask yourself and your colleagues why you want to evaluate your program. What is your desired outcome? Often, an evaluation begin because a funder requires it. Even when this is the case, you can usually find a way to shape the evaluation so that it not only meets the funder’s needs, but also helps your organization. Possible uses for evaluation include program improvement, advocacy, communicating your impact to potential donors, and informing decisions about the program’s future.

Who cares? And what do they care about?

Reflecting on the question of “who cares?” will help you define the people who will use the results, as well as their interests and motivations.

There are many reasons to engage stakeholders and plan upfront for dissemination, including:

• Stakeholder engagement can increase the quality, scope, and depth of the question
• Asking these questions of yourself and others promotes transparency and fosters relationships that build trust. 
• Planning upfront for how you will use the results leads to the useful, relevant, and credible evaluation findings.

Join us on April 26, 2023 at 2 pm Easter for the next meeting for the Evaluation + Impact special interest group. Mollie Williams will facilitate an interactive session while you learn and share your experiences. You will learn new skills and approaches for evaluating your mobile clinic’s programs. All are welcome!