In a 2004 interview with the late Everett Rogers, author of the book "Diffusion of Innovation", Rogers lamented that in 1963, he and other members of a prominent research group expected to solve the remaining international development problems and end poverty within ten to fifteen years. Now, forty-five years hence, it is time for a "reality check." While it is refreshing to be reminded of a time when it was acceptable to have such high hopes, in hindsight it appears that these early expectations were terribly naive. Unfortunately the multinational effort to alleviate poverty over the last half-century has not succeeded. Does this mean people should give up hope? It is the intention of this article to show international development evaluators why, despite ongoing challenges and limited success thus far, there are several reasons for continued or renewed hope. It explains how evaluation can play a crucial role in alleviating poverty, not only by enhancing accountability and learning, but also by enabling wiser strategic planning and improved coordination. The article will recognize the many challenges involved in international development, explain why evaluators have such a heavy responsibility in this field, outline why there is a "window of opportunity" for evaluation to make a significant contribution in alleviating poverty, and explain what evaluators must do in order to meet their individual responsibilities, thus helping to insure that the evaluation profession delivers this high-potential contribution. (Contains 1 figure.)