Evaluation procedures for the systematic measurement of Extension's total impact or effectiveness in rural Shawano County, Wisconsin, involved developing comprehensive descriptions of Extension programs from 1960 to 1975 to list types of activities and offerings, topics, attendances, and overviews of efforts in program areas like agriculture, home economics, and 4-H. Trained professional interviewers contacted by telephone 238 county or community leaders and a random sample of 1192 county residents 18 years or older. Fourteen general conclusions on methodology are presented and discussed for the use of others who are considering a similar evaluation. These include: (1) the concept of "impact", the levels of evidence hierarchy, and the general benefits model help organize an evaluation; (2) different reasons for total program evaluation influence design and data sources; (3) thorough documentation of the Extension program is necessary; (4) evaluation should focus on recent (3-5 Years) efforts when trying to assess impact over time; and (5) exact replication of this entire evaluation is unnecessary; suggestions are given for the most effective areas of evaluation. (DS)