A Program Evaluation Initiative
Measuring What Matters
Discover how Birmingham nonprofits are using data to spark innovation and make a greater impact in our community.
Birmingham Nonprofit Poster Expo
Part of the LEARN United line-up
On display
Fri, Oct 30 – Thu, Nov 12
During library hours
Where
Birmingham Public Library
2100 Park Place, Birmingham, AL 35203
Free and open to the public · See library hours →
Free parking behind the library; gallery is on the ground floor
Meet the facilitator
Fri, Oct 30 · 9 am – 1 pm
Thu, Nov 12 · 1 pm – 5 pm
with Claire Cole
What you'll see
Five weeks of work, one wall of impact
Each poster is the capstone of the Program Evaluation Bootcamp, a cohort-based intensive that condenses what is normally 35+ hours of one-on-one evaluation consulting into five interactive workshops.
Every participating organization picked one real program as a test case — and built a measurement plan, data tools, analysis, and an impact story they can now apply to every program they run.
Data in action
The posters on display
The Arc of Walker County
Active Support, Everyday Life: Evaluating The Arc of Walker County's Residential Program
An evaluation of a residential program in Jasper, AL serving 38 adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities across 15 homes — finding 100% resident satisfaction with a safe, welcoming home and 0% voluntary departures in two years.
Visit The Arc of Walker County →
Collat Jewish Family Services
Personal Care: Helping Older Adults Remain Safely and Independently at Home
An evaluation of CJFS Senior Solutions Personal Care — 89 clients and 6,255 in-home hours in 2025 — showing 96% of clients say the service helps them stay in their home and 98% retained independent living status, while only 21% were thriving or stable on daily living skills.
Visit Collat Jewish Family Services →
Childcare Resources
Investing in People. Strengthening Programs. Brighter Futures.
2025 professional development results for early childhood educators across Blount, Jefferson, Shelby, and Walker Counties — 319 training sessions delivered to 2,080 participants, with an average +15 point gain in knowledge and 98% of sessions rated good or excellent.
Visit Childcare Resources →
United Way of Central Alabama
LEARN United: Building Stronger Nonprofits. Creating Stronger Communities.
Three years of LEARN United capacity building (2023–2026) — 495 participants trained across 52 partner agencies in 37 sessions, with 96% saying they would recommend it to a colleague and 2 of 3 network member agencies receiving free training.
Visit United Way of Central Alabama →The journey behind the posters
Five weeks, five sessions
Sept 1
Meet and greet
Choosing a test case
The cohort met, walked the curriculum, and each organization chose one real program to evaluate.
Sept 9
Session 1
Creating a plan for measurement
A theory of change with prioritized input, output, outcome, and impact metrics.
Sept 16
Session 2
Instruments of measurement
Trackers, surveys, and qualitative tools for collecting clean data.
Sept 23
Session 3
Crunching the numbers
Basic analysis in Excel or Google Sheets — and when AI helps versus when it doesn't.
Sept 30
Session 4
Storytelling for impact
Choosing which data to use and framing it for each audience.
Oct 30
Showcase
The poster expo
The cohort reconvenes to celebrate its impact assessment work with peers, funders, and the community.
Previous work that inspired us
Built on real-world examples
The cohort studied evaluation samples from organizations Claire has supported over the past four years.
STRIVE Birmingham
Theory of change and outcome dashboard
Breakthrough Birmingham
Participant surveys and program attendance trackers
Sail Reads
Pilot evaluation and funder data story
What each organization gets...
A measurement plan
for one real program, built on a theory of change.
Instruments
that collect clean, usable data.
Analysis & visuals
run by the teams who know the program best.
Impact stories
funders and neighbors will remember.
Meet the program evaluator
Claire Cole
Claire Cole is a program evaluator, strategist and nonprofit leader who helps mission-driven organizations understand their impact and use data to make better decisions. A Princeton graduate and former Boston Consulting Group consultant, Claire brings experience in research, program design and impact measurement, along with nine years as a teacher.
Claire has worked with nonprofits across education, human services and community development to develop theories of change, identify meaningful outcomes and translate evaluation findings into actionable insights. She believes evaluation should be a tool for learning and innovation, not simply an exercise in proving success to funders.
She facilitates United Way of Central Alabama's LEARN United Program Evaluation Cohort and teaches nonprofit leaders how to use data to improve programs and tell more compelling stories about their impact.
She is also co-founder of Malone Unlimited, a nonprofit expanding access to entrepreneurship and investing opportunities for women.
Part of the LEARN United line-up
Building stronger nonprofits. Creating stronger communities.
Standing for Leadership, Education and Readiness for Nonprofits, LEARN United from United Way of Central Alabama provides practical, affordable training for nonprofit professionals, board members, and community leaders.
Through flexible training tracks, in-depth cohort programs, and year-round partner events, it offers the guidance and resources nonprofits need to thrive.
Explore LEARN United →