NMI 108: Analyzing for Program Impact (November 2026)
This course offers a practical introduction to program evaluation, focusing on how nonprofit professionals can begin to assess whether their programs are achieving intended results. Participants will explore how to apply logic models, identify appropriate data sources, and analyze the alignment between program activities and outcomes. Through real-world examples and hands-on application, learners will build foundational skills for using evaluation to inform decision-making and demonstrate impact.
Learning Objectives:
- Describe the purpose and key components of program evaluation in the nonprofit sector.
- Develop a program model that clearly connects nonprofit activities to intended outcomes.
- Discuss common data sources and methods used to measure program outcomes, including considerations of trustworthiness and relevance.
- Differentiate between common types of program evaluation and their purposes in assessing nonprofit impact.
- Analyze how nonprofit program activities align with intended outcomes using a program model or similar framework.
NMI courses are taught using the Canvas learning management system and include a variety of multimedia tools and resources. To ensure you can successfully access the multimedia tools in your courses, we recommend you use a standard PC or Mac desktop or laptop. Mobile devices are not recommended. Courses are best accessed using a high-speed Internet connection and a modern web browser such as Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Chrome or Safari.
Program description
Program dates
to
Delivery method
Online
Time commitment
20 hours (10 hours per week, 2 weeks per course)
Cost
$415
Doing good works is no longer enough. In today’s environment of growing demand, competing priorities and shrinking resources, a leader needs to ensure that the organization is having the desired impact.
Decisions about where and how to focus resources so that the desired impact is created must be grounded in evaluation of the organization’s strategies and programs. This course covers the design and implementation of an evaluation system that produces valid, credible and useful information that can be used to assess an organization’s impact.
This course is required for:
Knowledge Specialist
Knowledge Specialist, Nonprofit Management Institute
Dr. Lenay Dunn serves as a Knowledge Specialist for the ASU Lodestar Center's Nonprofit Management Institute where she teaches the Measuring for Impact course and courses for the Measuring Social Impact Measurement Certificate. She is an experienced educational leader, researcher, and evaluator. In addition to her role with NMI, she serves as a full time researcher in the education field for a non-profit research agency.
Dunn graduated summa cum laude from the University of Arizona and earned a Master of Arts from Stanford University. She earned her Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies with an emphasis on policy analysis and research/evaluation methods from Arizona State University.
Other sessions for this program
| Title | Date | Course delivery |
|---|---|---|
| NMI 108: Analyzing for Program Impact (April 2026) | to | Online |
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|---|---|---|---|
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| NMI 230: Tell Your Story Boot Camp (January 2026) | to | Online | Nonprofit Marketing and Strategic Communications Certificate |