Measuring outcomes of United Way–funded programs: Expectations and reality

In 1996, United Way of America (UWA) developed and began disseminating the most widely used approach to program outcome measurement in the nonprofit sector. Today an estimated 450 local United Ways encourage approximately 19,000 local agencies they fund to measure outcomes. The authors first describe and then assess the strengths and limitations of the distinguishing features of the UWA approach, efforts to disseminate the approach, implementation by local United Ways, and actual outcome measurement by local agencies. The chapter ends with a description of United Way’s relatively new emphasis on community impact and how that initiative relates to program outcome measurement. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc.