Professional Data Use Among Nonprofits and Public Organizations in Collaborative Networks: The Influence of Partners, Coalitions, and Technical Assistance Organizations

Nonprofits and public organizations may benefit from using evaluation data to improve programs and managerial decisions. Guided by organizational learning and institutional theory, this study investigates how partners, coalitions, and technical assistance organizations influence these organizations’ professional use of evaluation data within collaborative networks. Data were collected from 449 organizations embedded in an ego-centric network of partnerships and purpose-oriented coalitions on education reform. Results from the hierarchical linear models demonstrated that the only significant source of learning was organizations’ relationships with peer organizations in the ego-centric partnership network. This effect remained significant even after controlling for all the other factors. We discuss our findings and offer implications on integrating learning efforts at the coalition network and ego-centric network levels when motivating nonprofits and public organizations to conduct performance evaluations. (128 words)