EVALUATION AND PLANNING FOR COMMUNITY AND NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS

CSCS 570

Theoretical, critical, and analytical understanding and application of the conscious and systematic use of data, inquiry and analysis for community, organization and program diagnosis, intervention and evaluation in various community-based and nonprofit organizations.

CSCS 530

Purpose-driven organizations including community and grassroots efforts, nonprofits, nongovernmental organizations, social enterprises, cooperatives, and land trusts. Examines roles, critiques, characteristics, and infrastructural components. Includes analysis of historical, current, and trending approaches to purpose-driven work through textual, community-engaged, or case study learning.

CSCS 460

Provides opportunities for learning about some of the "nuts and bolts" of nonprofit organizations. Through studying high- impact organizations, interacting with local experts, and through an independent investigation of the work of a local nonprofit organization, develop uniquely tailored understandings and skills for nonprofit leadership.

CSCS 813

Develop, conduct, and lead a participatory program evaluation using a transformative lens. Emphasizes collaborative strategies that build evaluation capacity and improve the use of evaluation findings. Build knowledge and skills in evaluation and apply them through projects with institutions (e.g. community organizations, voluntary associations or foundations) involved in creating a civil and just society. Topics include but are not limited to professional standards and ethical practice, understanding context and engaging stakeholders, the role of power in evaluation, evaluation theory, mixed methods designs, developmental and collective approaches to evaluation, and systems thinking.

CSCS 300

Learn the concepts and tools to analyze the broad environment in which nonprofits operate and assess the impact of this environment at the community and individual organizational level.