Selecting the right grant evaluator is pivotal for securing funding, efficiently allocating resources, performing program evaluations, and demonstrating meaningful impact. A well-qualified evaluator will reduce your administrative burden, allowing your organization to focus on program delivery rather than grant compliance. A program evaluator who has experience writing grants can provide you with a critical advantage from the start. Because they will ultimately be responsible for evaluating your grant-funded project, your evaluator will know how to develop challenging but achievable project goals and objectives that are measurable and tell a compelling story of how your grant-funded project will address a known need that your organization is uniquely qualified to lead. Whether you are just beginning to seek federal grants, or searching for an independent grant evaluator, here are five key characteristics to optimize your funding success.
- Experience and Comprehensive Understanding – Inspect the evaluator’s portfolio to gauge their knowledge and proficiency. Skills in measurement, research design, statistical modeling, data analysis and visualization are necessary for required reporting and provide a deep understanding of the impact of the programs they evaluate.
- Reputation and Success Rate – Understand the organizations the evaluator has partnered with, and the time span of their collaboration. Seek feedback from current partners to understand their working dynamics and ensure they possess the capacity to see the grant process through to completion. Request a full list of the grants the evaluator has assisted in writing and their success rate in awards granted.
- Receptive and Responsive to Your Needs – Collaborate closely with your evaluator to set tailored goals and strategic plans that align with your needs, resources, and capabilities. They should invest time in understanding your mission and programs. An evaluator who is receptive and prompt in their communication establishes trust, streamlines processes, and ensures accurate data collection, goal tracking, and thorough documentation for adhering to grant requirements.
- Data and Analysis Expertise – Verify that your evaluator has demonstrated proficiency in data visualization software programs such as Tableau, Sales Force, Excel, or Power BI, and can transform data into compelling visuals and drive data-informed decisions. Ensure your evaluator has the expertise and technical infrastructure to ensure rigorous and high-quality data analysis that provides you with accurate and relevant information for your programs.
- Agile Adaptability - Select an evaluator with the ability to adapt to evolving program goals, methodologies, and assessment criteria to ensure accurate and relevant evaluation throughout the grant period. The ability to problem-solve creatively and adapt to changes is a necessary skill for an effective evaluator.
Prioritizing these characteristics will help you determine an evaluator who aligns to your organization and contributes to future grant success. Ready to begin? Request a call or submit a question.
