11.1 Program Evaluation
Evaluation is a key component of the program-planning process. Evaluating provides an opportunity for reflection, discussion, and improvement and is a manifestation of servant leadership – maximizing benefit to the people you are serving.
When a recreation program or event has ended, it may be tempting to clean up and move on to the next program or event. However, in order to ensure the success of a similar program or event the next time it is run, it’s vital to examine what went well and what could have gone better by collecting information about what happened – the high points and the low points. This is easily achieved through a formal program evaluation process.
Evaluation is:
- Judging the worth or value of something – a program, an event, a member of the recreation staff, or the components of a program, like activities, entertainment, meetings, etc.
- A way to determine if the programmer or agency met their program or event goals
- A systematic process of collecting data and information
Why Evaluate?
- To learn from successes & failures
- To comply with existing standards
- To demonstrate professionalism
- To improve programs for the future
- To justify expenses (ie; an ice sculpture that was a big hit, the dunk tank was a flop, the cost of the keynote speaker was worth every penny)
- To improve recreation programs and events for the future by identifying the positives and the minuses of the program or event: What went well? What did not?
- For safety and risk management purposes
- Were there any incidents, accidents or near-misses?
- If so, were these professionally and correctly handled? Was the appropriate paperwork completed, as required?
- Is follow-up needed for any of the incidents?
- To determine if the program’s goals were met
- To improve decision-making in the future
As soon as your program comes to a finish or your event ends, you will compile information (“data”) for evaluation. Your data can include “finals”: Final participant numbers, the final bill for the jazz trio, the final amount of money raised through the auction, or the final amount of money owed to the volunteer who ran out to buy more craft supplies when you ran out halfway through your activity!
Part of the evaluation process is examining whether your program or event goals, articulated in STEP 4: Purpose, Goals, and Objectives, were met. Gathering and compiling this information allows the program-planner to get a snapshot of the overall “ROI” (Return on Investment) generated by the program or event. In other words…was it worth it?
Return on Investment (ROI)
The term “Return on Investment” (ROI) is a performance measure that gauges whether a program or activity was ultimately worth the money and labour invested in its creation and delivery. In business, ROI tends to be largely monetary in nature, gauging the success of a venture based on a ratio of profits against losses. In recreation, programmers don’t look at dollars alone. There are a number of other elements that are factored into determining the ROI of a specific program or event.
ROIs can cover a number of criteria:
- Money Invested: Was the amount of money invested in the program/event for the purchase of supplies, equipment, SWAG, equipment rentals, etc., worth it? Did the program/event make a profit, break even, or, at least ideally, create a budget deficit?
- Time Invested: Was the time invested in the pre-program/event planning phase and eventual rollout worth it? Did the time required – hours, days, months – pay dividends in the end, or was it excessive, taking away time that could have been better invested elsewhere?
- Energy Invested: Was the energy, labour and ‘person-power’ invested by the staff and volunteers a good use of their time?
