Certified Nonprofit Professional Practice Exam

What are essential components of well-written evaluation outcome objectives?

1. Target population and resources

2. Direction of change and timeline

3. Target population, direction of change, and degree of change

4. All of the above

The correct answer is: Target population, direction of change, and degree of change

Well-written evaluation outcome objectives clearly define what a program aims to achieve, making them crucial for measuring success. The essential components include identifying the target population, specifying the direction of change, and outlining the degree of change. Focusing on the target population helps ensure that the objectives are relevant to the specific group the program is designed to impact. The direction of change indicates whether the objective aims to increase, decrease, or otherwise alter a particular outcome, clarifying the purpose of the evaluation. The degree of change indicates the extent to which the program aims to achieve its goals, allowing for a measurable outcome. While other options may touch on important aspects of evaluation planning, they do not encompass the comprehensive nature of a well-defined objective. For instance, specifying resources is important for implementation but does not directly relate to measuring outcomes. Similarly, including a timeline is useful for project management but doesn’t encapsulate the transformation expected from the target population. By integrating these three components—target population, direction of change, and degree of change—evaluation outcome objectives become actionable and measurable, forming a strong foundation for effective program assessment.