Challenges and Solutions in Program Evaluation: Ensuring Credibility and Actionability
Author: Dr. Anna Neya Kazanskaia
Publisher: NEYA Global Publishing
Article | NEYA Global Journal of Non-Profit Studies
Year: 2025
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-5669-1676
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64357/neya-gjnps-pr-ev-bt-pr-11
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About the Article
Program evaluation is essential for non-profit accountability and learning, but it is often constrained by practical, social, and ethical challenges. This article explores common obstacles—including resource limitations, stakeholder resistance, data quality issues, cultural barriers, and ethical dilemmas—and offers strategies for overcoming them. Solutions include prioritizing evaluation questions, leveraging existing data, strengthening participatory engagement, and embedding rigorous verification protocols. The role of cultural competence and ethical safeguards is emphasized as foundational to credibility and inclusivity. Case studies from health, education, and microfinance illustrate how organizations have applied flexible, context-sensitive approaches to address barriers. By integrating adaptive methodologies, stakeholder collaboration, and ethical practices, non-profits can strengthen the resilience, legitimacy, and utility of evaluation findings, ensuring they drive meaningful program improvement.
Key Topics
- Resource constraints and cost-effective strategies
- Addressing stakeholder resistance through engagement
- Ensuring data quality and reliability
- Cultural competence and inclusivity in evaluation
- Ethical safeguards: consent, confidentiality, transparency
- Flexibility and adaptability in evaluation practice
Suggested Citation
Kazanskaia, A. N. (2025). Challenges and Solutions in Program Evaluation: Ensuring Credibility and Actionability. NEYA Global Publishing. https://doi.org/10.64357/neya-gjnps-pr-ev-bt-pr-11
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