A Tale Of Two Cities: Examining Nonprofit Accountability

Nonprofit organizations exist in a world of constantly increasing scrutiny and oversight, while public scandals create an increasing demand for public accountability. Program evaluation is seen as a powerful tool to assist nonprofits in establishing organizational accountability, yet studies suggest that program evaluation is not being used to establish accountability. In order to explore the use of program evaluation in establishing accountability, surveys were administered to nonprofit organizations in Dallas and Fort Worth. Respondents also participated in interviews about decision making processes regarding evaluation and accountability within their agencies. Results indicate that organizations in Dallas and Fort Worth are fairly similar on many aspects of evaluation and accountability. Key differences in the use of evaluations, role of faith-based agencies, influence of funders, elements of program design, and other aspects of evaluation and accountability are explored.