ABSTRACT
Planning for program evaluation in rural communities may occur before a program is implemented, during implementation, or in some cases, after a program has occurred. Rural evaluators must establish trust with the communities they are working with early in the evaluation process. Listening is essential for engaging rural communities and stakeholders in the evaluation process. Cultural differences should be accounted for when considering active listening strategies. The perspectives and ideas that stakeholders share are invaluable in the evaluation process. The literature on Empowerment Evaluation techniques highlights how evaluators can facilitate the process of goal development in the evaluation planning process. Rural communities may have different resources available for evaluation. Knowing community resources and assets will help develop a realistic evaluation and program budget. In many cases, evaluators and programs leverage existing resources in the community to support the evaluation.
