Projects That Matter: Successful Planning And Evaluation For Religious Organizations

by Kathleen A. Cahalan

Projects That Matter introduces project leaders and teams to the five basic elements of project design and describes in detail a six-step process for designing and implementing a project evaluation and disseminating evaluation findings. Written for the nonexpert, leaders in religious settings will find Cahalan's guidance clear and invaluable. Presenting evaluation as a form of collaborative inquiry, Cahalan show how leaders can use evaluation design to develop effective project plans and prepare case statements for donors or grant proposals for foundations. She introduces project planning and evaluation as mission-related practices and invites leaders to consider how their tradition's particular mission and beliefs influence the way they plan and evaluate. Cahalan concludes the book by making explicit her own theological presuppositions―that the virtues of discernment, stewardship, and prudence are essential for good project planning and evaluation

Genres: Leadership

126 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Corey]

A good, basic primer on optimizing the effectiveness of projects and ventures in religious and non-profit organizations. The author was clearly familiar with and understood the problems of congregational life and what types of things a church might do. The information was very clear, and perhaps TOO basic in some places. This book would be helpful for church leaders who want to ask the right questions and maximize the effectiveness of projects and special ministries. Docked one star from five because of the more tedious, less necessary section on evaluation, and the page-filler charts that aren't very helpful.

[Bob Wolniak]

Essential training on project management, evaluation and revision.