Evaluation Readiness Quiz for Nonprofits
Resources for Nonprofit Leaders
Funding is scarce.
Your proof points don’t have to be.
Every year, strong programs lose funding, not because the work isn’t valuable, but because they cannot prove it in the language funders speak.
You’re doing work that transforms lives. Let’s capture that great work in a measurement strategy, so funders can see it too.
You know this feeling.
You see the impact every day. A kid who finally gets extra help with reading. A family that does not have to choose between paying the rent or putting food on the table. A community that shows up for each other. But when a potential or current funder asks for proof your program is working, that is where things get hard.
You are not imagining it: evaluation can seem like a luxury when your budget is already stretched thin. It can feel like one more thing standing between you and the work you’re committed to doing.
Here’s the good news: you do not have to become a data expert to tell your impact story. You just need the right partner.
We are not here to grade your program.
We are here to help you show it is working.
A lot of nonprofit leaders hear “evaluation” and think “audit,” someone showing up to find what is wrong. That is not how we work, and it’s not how good evaluation works.
At Metis, we see ourselves as an extension of your team. Decades of experience in education and social service program evaluation means we know where you are, trying to balance mission-driven urgency with a funder’s need for evidence. Our job is to make that easier, not harder.
Let’s help you measure up.
The best time to think about evaluation isn’t at the end of a grant cycle, it is at the beginning. When data systems to track outcomes are built into a program from day one, you capture the details and the wins you would otherwise lose. We can help you get ahead of that, wherever your program is right now.
How Metis Helps as your Evaluation Partner
From wherever you are today, we will help you meet every funder question with confidence.
Measure what matters
Outcomes, reach, and real-world impact, not just the “numbers served” count. We help you define what success actually looks like for your program, and build the systems to track it.
Build funder-ready reports
Turning raw data into a clear, compelling story is its own skill. We help you translate what you are already doing into the evidence funders are looking for.
Position your program for what’s next
Whether it is a renewal or a new grant, strong evaluation data don’t just satisfy a funder’s checklist. It becomes your strongest argument for why your work deserves continued investment.
The Four Evaluation Tiers
Not sure if your program is ready for a program or impact evaluation? Find out in a few minutes.
Evaluation is not one-size-fits-all, it is a continuum, and most programs are further along than they think. Our free Evaluation Readiness Quiz walks you through a short set of questions about your data systems, staff capacity, and outcomes clarity, then shows you exactly which tier your program is in today, and what it would take to move to the next one.
Tier 1: Foundational Readiness
You are tracking whom you serve and what you do.
What it takes: Basic participation/attendance data, a clear program description, staff who can reliably enter and access it.
Tier 2: Outcome Readiness
You know what success looks like, and you are starting to measure it.
What it takes: A logic model or theory of change, defined outcomes (not just activities), and early outcome data collection.
Tier 3: Formative Evaluation Ready
You are using data while the program is running, not just after.
What it takes: A feedback loop between what the data shows and how the program is adjusted mid-course.
Curious what this actually looks like? Read: What Is a Formative Evaluation?
Tier 4: Impact Evaluation Ready
The most rigorous tier: you can show, with confidence, that your program caused the outcomes you’re seeing.
What it takes: A comparison or control group, sufficient sample size, and the infrastructure to support a causal, funder-defensible study.
Take the Free Evaluation Readiness Quiz
Metis has helped programs like yours turn data into dollars
For decades, Metis has partnered with K-12 schools, afterschool programs, and community-based nonprofits to build the evidence base that wins grants, renews funding, and tells their story with confidence.
The Girl Scouts of Greater New York engaged Metis over the past four summers to study their Urban Day Camp program.
Through regular progress summaries, funder reports, and ongoing technical assistance Metis helps the Magnolia team interpret findings, identify areas for mid-course correction, and demonstrate impact to funders and the community.
Case Study: Supporting Recovery and Resilience for Women and Families in Oakland
Metis developed a comprehensive cross-site evaluation for the Georgia Statewide Afterschool Network to evaluate implementation and outcomes addressing learning loss and student well-being.
Case Study: Evaluating Georgia’s Statewide Investment in Out-of-School Time Programming
Your program works. Let’s help you prove it.
Start with the Evaluation Readiness Quiz. It takes five minutes, and it’s the first step toward funding you don’t have to fight as hard for.
Prefer to talk it through first?
Evaluation works best when your whole team believes in it.
Board buy-in. Staff who see data as a tool, not a chore. Leadership that treats evaluation as part of the mission, not a separate task bolted onto it. That culture doesn’t happen by accident, and it doesn’t require everyone to become a data person overnight.