Several nonprofit studies document the consequences of using evaluation to meet funder accountability requirements and also point to other reasons nonprofits may not use the data they collect. These reasons include limited capacity, inability to control the data they collect, and inadequate technology (Benjamin et al., 2017; Hoefer, 2000). For example, the nonprofit literature on accountability discussed earlier showed how goal displacement or overclaiming of results might be a natural consequence of using evaluation to meet funder demands. The organizational effectiveness literature shows how the ambiguity inherent in defining nonprofit effectiveness is often resolved in favor of meeting funder requirements, resulting in evidence that is neither useful for organizational-level decision-making nor for learning (Bryan et al., 2020; Carman & Fredericks, 2010). Consequently, evaluative data needed by internal audiences for learning and improvement are often not available (Gugerty & Karlan, 2014). As a result of these forces, managers and staff may ultimately see evaluation as symbolic and separate from their “real” work (Buckmaster, 1999; Mitchell & Berlan, 2016; Riddell, 1999
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