What is Empowerment Evaluation?

From Fetterman & Wandersman (2004), Empowerment Evaluation Principles in Practice.

One approach or “way” of doing evaluation is empowerment evaluation. The aims are to increase the probability of achieving program success by:

  1. Providing prevention team with a framework for how to assess, plan, implement and evaluate their program, and
  2. "Mainstreaming" evaluation as part of the planning and management of the program

This effort is guided by 10 empowerment evaluation principles:

Principle 1: Improvement

Principle 2: Community Ownership

Principle 3: Inclusion

Principle 4: Democratic Participation

Principle 5: Social Justice

Principle 6: Community Knowledge

Principle 7: Evidence-based Strategies

Principle 8: Capacity Building

Principle 9: Organizational Learning

Principle 10: Accountability

What Is Getting To Outcomes (GTO)?

  1.  GTO is a 10 step framework for planning, implementation and evaluation that is intended to increase success towards goals
  2.  Compliments the empowerment evaluation philosophy


By using GTO framework, programs are thought to increase their probability of achieving outcomes and demonstrate their accountability to stakeholders.