The Evaluation Capacity of Czech Nonprofit Social Services Organizations

This study explores the capacity of Czech nonprofit social services organizations to have their services evaluated. These organizations are often required to evaluate their services by their national, regional governments, and/or the EU Social Investment Fund, however they are challenged with evaluation capacity building (ECB). This study organizes the ECB literature around six dimensions and draws on ECB studies, frameworks, and checklists. It examines the exploratory question of evaluation capacity through a national survey of, and semi-structured interviews with, directors of these organizations. Results demonstrate that the challenges for evaluation capacity are similar to previous ECB studies in other countries. However, in this study they are somewhat driven by directors’ social constructions of evaluation which are influenced by government guidelines and standards and their limited understanding of ECB and perception for their role in it. Conclusions are accompanied by recommended practice.