CVA Program Evaluation & Continuous Improvement 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which approach involves systematically gathering stakeholder feedback throughout a program rather than only at the end?
- Summative evaluation
- Formative evaluation (Correct answer)
- Impact evaluation
- Cost-benefit analysis
Correct answer: Formative evaluation
Formative evaluation is conducted during program implementation to provide ongoing feedback for improvement.
Question 2: A volunteer coordinator wants to demonstrate the program's return on investment to funders. Which tool is most appropriate?
- Volunteer satisfaction survey
- Social Return on Investment (SROI) analysis (Correct answer)
- Logic model diagram
- Volunteer retention rate calculation
Correct answer: Social Return on Investment (SROI) analysis
SROI analysis monetizes social, environmental, and economic value created relative to investment to communicate program worth.
Question 3: What is a key advantage of using a balanced scorecard approach in volunteer program evaluation?
- It focuses exclusively on financial performance
- It measures performance across multiple perspectives simultaneously (Correct answer)
- It eliminates the need for qualitative data
- It requires minimal staff time to implement
Correct answer: It measures performance across multiple perspectives simultaneously
A balanced scorecard tracks performance across perspectives such as stakeholder satisfaction, internal processes, learning, and financial health.
Question 4: When setting SMART evaluation goals, what does the 'T' stand for?
- Tested
- Transparent
- Time-bound (Correct answer)
- Transformative
Correct answer: Time-bound
Time-bound means the goal has a clear deadline or timeframe, making progress measurable within a defined period.
Question 5: Which sampling strategy is most appropriate when a volunteer coordinator wants every volunteer to have an equal chance of being surveyed?
- Convenience sampling
- Purposive sampling
- Simple random sampling (Correct answer)
- Snowball sampling
Correct answer: Simple random sampling
Simple random sampling ensures every member of the population has an equal probability of selection, reducing selection bias.
Question 6: A continuous improvement team identifies a recurring onboarding problem. They map the full process to find inefficiencies. What tool are they using?
- Gantt chart
- Process flow map (Correct answer)
- Scatter plot
- Fishbone diagram
Correct answer: Process flow map
A process flow map visually depicts each step in a workflow, making inefficiencies and bottlenecks easy to identify.
Question 7: Which principle of ethical evaluation requires that data collection does not harm participants?
- Accuracy
- Utility
- Feasibility
- Propriety (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Propriety
The propriety standard requires that evaluations are conducted legally and ethically, protecting the rights and welfare of participants.
CVA Program Evaluation & Continuous Improvement 3
Which approach involves systematically gathering stakeholder feedback throughout a program rather than only at the end?