20 - Riding off into the Sunset: Designing a Summative Program Outcome and Impact Evaluation that Tells Our Story

Abstract Information: This presentation describes processes, methods, and challenges in designing and implementing outcome and impact evaluation of a multi-component and multi-stakeholder national program. The grant-funded program was established in 2017 to serve as a community engagement partner and training and education lead for an NIH research initiative. The program’s activities vary and often change to meet the directives of the grant-funding organization. Adding to the program’s complexity is the diversity of the program’s stakeholders, in terms of the organization types and the populations they serve, and the different ways they work with the program. Nearing the end of its life cycle, the program has begun wrapping up its activities, which includes preparing for and implementing summative evaluation. The summative evaluation aims to understand the direct, indirect, intended, and unintended outcomes and impact of the program. The presenters will discuss how they use the project logic models to plan the summative evaluation and collaborate with multidisciplinary program staff to ensure that the evaluation captures the diverse stakeholders' perspectives. They will also discuss how formative evaluation of program activities contributes to the summative evaluation of a 10-year, large-scale program.