Customer Reviews

Using Performance Measurement to Improve Public and Nonprofit Programs: New Directions for Evaluation (J-B PE Single Issue (Program) Evaluation)

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It is ironic to me how nonprofits are using the harmful methods of the profit sector to assess their own achievements. Even now with more and more focus on patient centered medicine and student centered education and flex time in the work force it seems regressive that nonprofits choose quantitative measure that dehumanize the people they serve when alternatives are available. So though this book is practical in helping nonprofits appear more business like by providing them simple value neutral models for measuring their outcomes these methods are superficial and make me think of how the Borg on Star Trek might assess their ways of assimilating people.

The book also begs the question why are staff at nonprofits are untrained in developing methods for evaluating what they do. Here is the externalism problem magnified by a belief in measurements that are unnatural and are not holistic, other regarding. It would be better for executives to do what Heidegger calls gellasenheit with respect to how they effect people then das gestell. For the books models of measurement are Tayloresque, outdated and will not provide thorough feedback to staff to improve whjat they do in a way that is meaningful to people they serve.