Evaluation & Assessment
We help nonprofits to understand their reach and increase their impact.
Our Approach
We support nonprofits and foundations to deepen the impact of their programs and better measure success through intentional learning and evaluation. We work with clients to design quantitative and qualitative evaluations that illuminate what’s working, what’s not, and why. Our work includes developing evaluation frameworks and data collection tools, to building a culture of learning and reflection across your organization’s staff and board.
We’ve worked with some of the nation’s leading change makers on evaluation
Case Studies
Schonfield Consulting workshop for Gates Foundation grantees
Gates Foundation
We worked with over 25 senior staff over 12 years at the Gates Foundation on a wide range of evaluation and learning projects.
Schonfield Consulting prepared internal strategy documents for the Foundation's Global Development Program, wrote a case study on spillover effects from grants in East Africa, and developed a Learning Inventory Database of 80+ agricultural grants ( from $1 million to $25+ million) to support knowledge management and centralize key learnings. We also organized an in-person workshop in East Africa for grantees from 10 countries to sharpen their learning and assessment skills.
Michigan Saves
Based in Lansing Michigan, Michigan Saves is the nation’s first nonprofit green bank. In 2022, Michigan Saves launched the Lead Poisoning Prevention Fund to help families address lead paint hazards in homes. We conducted an evaluation of the Lead Fund to better understand the success and challenges of this important program. Many older homes in Michigan have lead-based paint, which poses health hazards to kids and other family members. We worked closely with Michigan Saves on stakeholder interviews, a survey of 600+ participants and other evaluation efforts. We analyzed the results and helped the Lead Fund reach more Michiganders with lead abatement loans and support.
For the Central Valley Community Foundation we conducted an landscape assessment of the impact of California's drought on community based organizations (CBOs). Based in Fresno CA, CVCF serves rural and farmworker communities in California’s Central Valley. Working with the foundation’s staff and Board, we collected data through a survey of Central Valley CBOs, conducted key stakeholder interviews, and organized a community listening session with over 60 community and nonprofit leaders. The report includes recommendations for how the foundation can better support Central Valley nonprofits. See the final assessment report here.
Central Valley Community Foundation
Kenneth Rainin Foundation
Schonfield Consulting conducted an evaluation of the Kenneth Rainin Foundation's Health Program, a $2 million initiative that supports bio-medical research. Using qualitative and quantitative methods (grantee reports, on-line surveys, interviews, publication metrics), we worked closely with Rainin’s team to understand the program’s effectiveness and strengthen implementation. As Rainin staff explained "It was a pleasure working with Schonfield Consulting on our health program evaluation. Anne was super thoughtful and organized, and helped us translate lots of data into a very useful product for our Board."
Why you might need an evaluation consultant?
If you’re…
Feeling unsure whether your programs are truly making a difference.
Wondering how to capture both the numbers and the stories of impact.
Facing a funder or board that wants rigorous evidence of your outcomes.
Launching a new initiative and needing a roadmap to track success.
Wanting to move from anecdotes to data-informed decision making.