A strong logic model helps organizations clarify what they do and the change they hope to create. But how do you know whether your program is achieving its intended outcomes? That’s where an evaluation plan comes in.
The Logic Model to Evaluation Plan Guide helps nonprofit and social impact organizations translate their logic models into practical, actionable evaluation plans. Designed as a companion to BSRI’s Logic Model Basics resource, this guide builds on the foundation of program planning to help teams identify what they should measure, where to find the information they need, and how to use data to understand progress and inform decisions.
Rather than approaching evaluation as a separate or highly technical process, the guide demonstrates how much of the groundwork has already been established through the logic model. Program outcomes become evaluation objectives, outputs carry over as measurable activities and deliverables, and evaluation questions help organizations determine whether intended changes are taking place.
The resource introduces four core components of an evaluation plan:
- Objectives: The changes your program is working toward, drawn directly from your logic model outcomes.
- Evaluation Questions: The questions that help determine whether your program is achieving its objectives and intended results.
- Outputs: The measurable products and results of program activities.
- Sources of Information: The reports, forms, tracking tools, and other data sources used to answer evaluation questions.
Using a case study, the guide demonstrates how to move from a completed logic model to an evaluation plan with examples of evaluation questions, practical approaches to identifying data sources, and guidance on balancing quantitative measures with qualitative insights that help explain accomplishments, challenges, and participant experiences.
The guide also emphasizes the importance of building evaluation into existing organizational practices. Rather than creating new tools and systems unnecessarily, organizations are encouraged to begin with the information they already collect through program reports, intake forms, tracking spreadsheets, and staff check-ins. This approach can help reduce administrative burden while making evaluation more manageable and sustainable.
To support implementation, the resource includes two practical tools in the appendices:
- Blank Evaluation Plan Template: A structured, four-column template that organizations can use to develop their own evaluation plans.
- BSRI Evaluation Plan Checklist: A review tool to help teams assess whether their evaluation plan is complete, realistic, and ready for implementation, including clear responsibilities and data collection timelines.
This resource is particularly useful for:
- Nonprofits that have completed a logic model and are ready to develop an evaluation plan.
- Organizations preparing to track outcomes and report progress to funders.
- Program teams seeking to strengthen their data collection and evaluation practices.
- Leaders looking to make evaluation more manageable without dedicated evaluation staff.
- Organizations interested in using existing data more intentionally for learning and decision-making.
At BSRI, we believe evaluation should be practical, purposeful, and connected to how organizations actually work. A thoughtful evaluation plan helps teams move beyond simply tracking activities to understanding what is changing, why it matters, and how that information can support continuous learning and improvement.
