Evaluation of the American Cancer Society's Research Promotion Guide

The American Cancer Society has supported cancer re search far more than 50 years and has devoted,more than $2.2 billion to cancer research. This arti cle describes an evaluation of the Research Promotion Guide of the American Cancer Society; a reference tool developed by the National Home Office for regional division staff and volunteers whose work involved public relation s and fundraising. The purposes of this study were the following: 1) to det ermine the level and type of use of the guide; and 2) to assess factors tha t may influence the level and type of use. Fifty-five participants were int erviewed by telephone. Overall, 78% of them were aware of the guide. Three factors significantly- and positively; associated with level of use were: c ompatibility (the-perception that the guide is relevant to one's job); atte nding a:training session; and years employed at the American Cancer Society . This: study, a pilot project for the Collaborative Evaluation Fellows Pro ject (CEFP), demonstrated that collaboration between nonprofit and academic institutions is feasible and can serve the:needs of the students and organ izations. The lessons learned can be applied to evaluations in general and to future CEFP projects.