SAN FRANCISCO — Last week, Village Enterprise released the results of its randomized controlled trial, which found that its holistic entrepreneurship program — which involved training and mentorship as well as funding — had a greater impact on extreme poverty reduction than cash transfers alone.
In a meeting with Devex in San Francisco, Village Enterprise Chief Executive Officer Dianne Calvi said she wants to set an example in hopes that more nonprofit organizations become evidence based.
But she acknowledged that RCTs are not the right fit for every organization. With growing interest from donors and practitioners in evidence, these randomized evaluations are just one possible tool in the toolkit. So, how do you know whether an RCT is right for your NGO?