Lessons Learned: How to Update Your Evaluation Strategy for the Year Ahead
2025 is knocking at the door, how will you answer?
Before you do, it’s the perfect time to pause, reflect, and recalibrate your evaluation strategy. Whether you lead a nonprofit, coalition, manage programs, or oversee impact-driven initiatives, understanding what worked (and what didn’t) is essential for building a stronger, more effective evaluation framework in 2025. By analyzing this year’s lessons, you can refine your processes, align with organizational goals, and set your programs up for success in the year ahead.
Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of working with so many incredible nonprofits and organizations, and I’ve seen firsthand the power of stepping back, reflecting, and making meaningful changes. If you’re anything like me, this time of year feels like the perfect opportunity to learn, adapt, and move forward with intention. So let’s do that together.
Here’s how we can use the insights from 2024 to update your evaluation strategy for a successful 2025:
1. Reflect on 2024: What Worked and What Didn’t?
Before we rush into new strategies, let's hit the pause button and ask: What can we learn from the past year? Why is evaluation important for the work we do?
Taking a moment to reflect on 2024 will provide valuable insights into both our triumphs and our challenges. Start with your data.
What were your biggest successes?
Does your data reveal actionable insights that led to program improvements?
Where did you face challenges? Were there gaps in implementation, data collection, unclear metrics, or limited stakeholder buy-in?
Did your evaluation goals align with your overall program objectives? Misalignment can cause resources to be wasted on irrelevant or impractical data.
Action Step: Hold a team debrief meeting to discuss what worked well and what didn’t. Use surveys or one-on-one interviews with key stakeholders to gather diverse perspectives. Create a list of wins and challenges, then identify patterns or trends that can inform your next steps.
Remember! Reflecting doesn’t mean criticizing—it means learning. It’s okay if things didn’t go according to plan. That is part of the process. I always encourage teams to approach this with curiosity and openness. The goal isn’t to focus on shortcomings but to uncover opportunities.
Example: If you find that a specific outreach method led to higher community engagement, make it a focus for future interventions. If a data collection method was time-consuming or inaccurate, consider revising it or switching to a more effective tool like an online survey platform.
2. Revisit Your Mission: What’s Your Why?
As we evaluate the year, let’s go back to the heart of your organization: the mission. Does it still inspire and drive you? Your mission is the foundation of everything you do, and now is the perfect time to ensure it’s still aligned with your goals. A refreshed sense of purpose can bring clarity and focus to your strategy, making your evaluations more meaningful.
Why do you do what you do? Your mission is the foundation of your strategy. A clear and inspiring “why” ensures your evaluations align with your larger goals.
Have your priorities shifted? Sometimes, the work evolves. If your mission needs a refresh, now’s the time to make adjustments.
Does your mission statement inspire? How do your team members, community members, and key stakeholders feel about your mission statement? Are they able to easily recite it?
Your evaluation strategy should always connect back to your mission. It’s what gives your data meaning and purpose.
Action Step: Organize a team discussion or workshop to revisit your organization's mission and vision. Ask questions like “Does this still resonate with our current work?” and “Are there new priorities or values that should be included?” Adjust your mission statement if necessary and ensure alignment with your 2025 goals.
Example: If your nonprofit’s mission has evolved to include a stronger focus on youth empowerment, revise your mission statement to reflect that. This ensures your evaluation goals and methods continue to support this shift in 2025.
3. Identify Key Lessons Learned
The year has come with a mix of challenges and achievements—now let’s uncover the key lessons learned. What can you take away from 2024 to inform your next steps?
This is your opportunity to pinpoint the metrics, tools, data quality, and stakeholder engagement strategies that either fueled success or held you back, helping you refine your approach for 2025.
Metrics That Matter: Were your KPIs meaningful and achievable? If not, revise them to focus on indicators that truly measure impact.
Tools and Methods: Did your evaluation tools, such as surveys, dashboards, or software, meet your needs?
Data Quality: Were there inconsistencies or gaps in your data collection processes?
Stakeholder Engagement: Did you involve program beneficiaries, funders, and staff effectively?
You may feel overwhelmed by their evaluation process. You may even have so much data that you don’t know where to start. That’s okay.
Action Step: Conduct a thorough review of your evaluation methods, KPIs, and data collection processes. Create a list of specific lessons learned, focusing on areas like data quality, stakeholder engagement, and the tools you use. Use this analysis to guide adjustments for next year’s strategy.
Example: If you find that stakeholder engagement was low during program evaluations, introduce new ways to involve stakeholders, like focus groups or town hall meetings, to improve engagement in 2025.
4. Update Your Evaluation Roadmap for 2025
As we look to the future, it’s time to set new goals that will guide your evaluation efforts in 2025. Your objectives should evolve alongside your programs and reflect the lessons of the past year. Setting clear, measurable goals will not only align your evaluations with organizational priorities but also ensure you're ready to tackle the challenges of the year ahead.
Organizational Priorities: Are your evaluations helping you achieve your mission and strategic goals?
Stakeholder Expectations: Do funders, boards, or beneficiaries have new requirements, interests, or needs?
Emerging Trends: Stay ahead of industry trends, such as integrating equity-focused evaluation methods, the use of AI, or leveraging real-time data analytics.
Action Step: Use our Evaluation Plan Template to set clear and actionable goals for your 2025 evaluations. Ensure these goals are aligned with both your organization's mission and the evolving needs of your stakeholders.
Example: If your goal for 2024 was to increase donor engagement through evaluations, set a SMART goal for 2025 like “Increase donor participation in evaluation surveys by 25% by Q3 2025 using targeted outreach methods and incentives.”
5. Streamline Data Collection and Analysis
If your data collection methods feel outdated or overwhelming, it’s time for a refresh. Inefficient processes can waste valuable time and resources—so let’s focus on streamlining your approach. By investing in the right tools, simplifying methods, and prioritizing real-time insights, you can transform data into an empowering resource that drives impactful decision-making.
Move past the Stone Age and invest in Technology: Are your tools outdated? Platforms like data dashboards, CRM systems, and collaboration tools can make data collection and analysis easier. Spreadsheets are great, but there are so many programs out there, updating and streamlining your processes will help you focus.
Simplify Methods: If data collection feels overwhelming, focus on quality over quantity by streamlining processes and reducing redundant efforts.
Prioritize Real-Time Insights: Use tools that allow you to monitor progress throughout the year or even in real-time, so you can get a pulse on progress and make adjustments as needed.
Action Step: Evaluate your current data collection methods for efficiency and effectiveness. Consider adopting new technologies, like data dashboards or AI-powered analytics, to simplify processes. Start by implementing one new tool or method in 2025 to improve data flow and reduce manual work.
Example: If you're currently manually inputting data into spreadsheets, consider adopting a CRM system that integrates with your surveys to automate data collection.
6. Incorporate Flexibility Into Your Strategy
There’s nothing worse than a rigid strategy that doesn’t allow room for innovation. Your evaluation strategy needs to be adaptable in the face of shifting priorities, emerging technology, and external challenges.
Build Adaptive Frameworks: Create evaluation plans that can shift based on changing priorities or external factors.
Establish Feedback Loops: Regularly check in with your team and stakeholders to ensure the evaluation strategy remains relevant.
Pilot New Methods: If you’re introducing new tools or metrics, test them on a small scale before full implementation.
Action Step: Build flexibility into your evaluation framework by creating contingency plans for unexpected challenges. Design your strategy with adjustable goals and feedback loops that allow you to make mid-year changes as needed. Regularly check in with your team to ensure that the evaluation remains adaptable.
Example: If you’re planning to pilot a new evaluation tool in 2025, create a feedback loop where team members and participants can offer insights after each phase. This will help you tweak the tool before full implementation if needed.
7. Focus on Equity and Inclusion
Diverse perspectives are essential for meaningful insights and change. In 2025, make sure your evaluation process is intentional about including the voices of all stakeholders, identifying and addressing biases, and promoting transparency in ways that everyone can understand and engage with.
Engage Communities: Include stakeholders and beneficiaries in the evaluation process to ensure their voices are heard.
Identify Biases: Review your tools and methods for unintended biases in data collection or analysis.
Promote Transparency: Share evaluation results in ways that are accessible and meaningful to all audiences.
Action Step: Review your evaluation tools and methods for any biases that may affect data collection or analysis. Make a plan to engage diverse communities and stakeholders in your evaluations, ensuring that their voices are included and that evaluation results are accessible to everyone. Implement more participatory methods where possible.
Example: If your 2024 program and evaluation didn’t reach diverse populations, consider adding translation services to your surveys or holding focus groups in multiple languages. Create accessible reports with visual aids for those with disabilities or limited literacy skills.
8. Communicate Your Results Effectively
At the end of the day, your evaluation is only as impactful as the way you communicate its results. To make your findings truly actionable, you need to tailor your approach to your audience. Whether it's funders, boards, or staff, make sure you’re presenting your insights clearly and engagingly—using visuals, stories, and data summaries that bring your impact to life.
Tailor Your Reports: Create summaries for different audiences (e.g., funders, boards, or program staff) to highlight what matters most to them.
Use Visuals: Infographics, charts, and dashboards can make data easier to understand.
Share Stories: Pair quantitative data with real-life success stories to demonstrate impact.
Action Step: Develop a communication plan for sharing evaluation results with different audiences (e.g., staff, funders, stakeholders). Create tailored reports that highlight key findings in a clear, visually appealing format. Use infographics or success stories alongside your data to make the findings more relatable and impactful.
Example: For a funding partner, you might prepare a formal, data-driven report. For program staff, a short presentation or interactive dashboard might be more effective. Share a case study or success story from your program that illustrates the impact of your evaluation.
Looking Ahead: Building a Better Evaluation Strategy for 2025
The end of the year is not just a time to look back. It’s also an opportunity to look forward. By revisiting your mission, evaluating 2024’s wins and challenges, and refining your strategy, you can set your organization up for greater success in 2025. Use these lessons to adopt new tools, align with your purpose, and ensure your evaluations provide actionable insights that drive real impact.
If you need support as you plan for 2025, consider taking my online evaluation course that can help elevate your skills.
I’d love to connect and help your team build an evaluation strategy that works. Together, let’s make the coming year your most impactful one yet.
Wishing you a successful and reflective end to 2024 and a fresh, intentional start to 2025!