Getting Inside the Story: Ethnographic Approaches to Evaluation

Contributing Organization(s): Ford Foundation


Author(s)/Creator(s): Craig McGarvey; Toby Volkman

Publishing Date: 2004-10-01

Issue Areas: Nonprofits and Philanthropy

Ownership/Rights Info: Copyright 2004, 2006 GrantCraft. All rights reserved.

Access Note: A brief one-time registration is required to download a free PDF of this guide. This guide is also available for purchase in hard-copy through GrantCraft's online store: http://www.grantcraft.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=page.viewPage&pageID;=1085

Available at: http://www.grantcraft.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=page.viewpage&pageid;=618
To get insight into a complex community, problem or process of change, sometimes you need to look beyond conventional research or evaluation methods. Ethnography is a powerful way to step inside the culture of an organization or community, hear ongoing feedback from multiple points of view, and understand a program's real impact. In this guide, learn about ethnography's benefits and pitfalls, and see how grantmakers use the method to document, evaluate and improve approaches to youth engagement, HIV education and neighborhood policing. This guide includes sections on: understanding ethnography's pros and cons; generating lessons quickly and continuously; telling a more authentic institutional or community story; and stimulating reflection on the front lines. This guide is part of GrantCraft's series on evaluation.

Access this research:

Access Note: A brief one-time registration is required to download a free PDF of this guide. This guide is also available for purchase in hard-copy through GrantCraft's online store: http://www.grantcraft.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=page.viewPage&pageID;=1085

Available at: http://www.grantcraft.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=page.viewpage&pageid;=618
Intended Audience: Advocates; College/University Professors; General Public; Researchers

Type/Format: Evaluation; Whitepaper

Language code: English

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