Impact evaluation is a new area of work for RK&A. In this age of accountability, museums are increasingly required to measure their impact on the communities they serve. Impact evaluation is a process developed to help museums respond to questions about their effectiveness in achieving their missions.

Upon reviewing the museum's mission, vision, and planning goals, we work with staff to define the museum's purpose and public value in measurable terms. We then develop measurement tools to determine the museum's effectiveness in achieving its mission and intended impact. The process entails collecting data to determine a baseline level of impact. We also help museums become more intentional in their practice by learning from and applying evaluation findings to achieve greater impact.

Our approach to impact evaluation is based on our belief that museum professionals will accomplish their missions by being more intentional in their practice, continually measuring their impact, and applying evaluative findings to their daily work.

We recently conducted an impact evaluation with the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College. For a complete list of RK&A evaluation and research projects, please see All RK&A Clients.

For additional information or to get started on an impact evaluation, please see Getting Started.