A video series for building evidence on effective programs

For 10 years, Child Trends has hosted workshops for nonprofits in Washington, DC on building evidence for effective programs. These workshops, titled Becoming an Evidence-Based Program, were funded by the Alexander and Margaret Stewart Trust.

When these workshops launched, many nonprofit leaders were anxious because funders were telling them that they needed to be “data-driven” and “evidence-based,” but they didn’t know how or why they should do this. Significantly, they wanted to help children and youth, but program leaders did not understand the utility of data for their organizations. Ultimately, program leaders who attended the workshops came to understand that the strategic use of data could actually support them in achieving their organization’s mission.

Over the years, Child Trends considered sharing these workshops with programs outside of the DC area. To that end, the Annie E. Casey Foundation has supported the development of a video series to bring the processes and principles of becoming an evidence-based program to other areas around the United States and in other countries.

The first video provides an overview of the workshop, while videos 2 through 5 cover the steps in the process of becoming an evidence based program: