Internal evaluation involves the use of internal staff to evaluate pro
grams or issues of direct relevance to an organization. The use of int
ernal evaluation has been growing rapidly during the last decade. Neve
rtheless, there is a serious gap in knowledge about internal evaluatio
n, especially for human service and non-governmental organizations. Th
is paper begins by examining internal evaluation within the discourse
of a ''new vision'' of evaluation that links evaluation closely to man
agement and practice. The paper explores the unique characteristics of
internal evaluation, its strengths and weaknesses, the process of int
ernal evaluation, steps in developing internal evaluation capacity, st
rategies for effective internal evaluation, and positive and negative
roles of internal evaluators. It concludes with a look at some recent
developments in the evolution of internal evaluation.