An Evaluator’s Guide to Engaging ‘Non-Data People’ in Interpretation and Use of Findings December 10, 2024 By Judy Ney While we know that meaningfully including and centering the voices of stakeholders, partners, and community members in the evaluation process is crucial (and was in fact, the theme of the 2024 American Evaluation Association (AEA) Annual Conference), in practice, it can often prove challenging. Including non-evaluators can increase buy-in to evaluation processes, build evaluation capacity, … Continued
Understanding the Emerging Field of Evaluation in Corporate Social Good December 10, 2024 By Judy Ney Driven by our commitment to understanding social impact, our Corporate Measurement & Evaluation Community of Practice (CoP) conducted a comprehensive benchmarking survey of CSR practitioners at global companies from June to September of this year, gathering insights from 30 companies. As companies make plans for 2025, we have heard from many members of the CoP … Continued
Empowering Change: Grassroots Models and Trust-Based Philanthropy September 26, 2024 By Judy Ney “What do you think of when you hear the word POWER”? This was the question we put to our audience at the start of our session at last month’s Grantmakers in Health Annual Conference. Responses highlighted the deep interrogation of this question currently taking place across philanthropy as funders seek the right relationship with the … Continued
Taming the ‘Wild’ Terrain of Qualitative Analysis September 26, 2024 By Judy Ney Qualitative data analysis is an art and science that seeks to convey textual or visual data’s meaning. That sounds nice, but navigating the best way to do qualitative analysis can feel as chaotic as the wild west. This perceived disorder arises from the many unique approaches to qualitative analysis, making it hard to determine the … Continued
Show Me the Money: Bold Approaches to Shifting Power to the Grass Roots June 27, 2024 By Judy Ney Reflections from our Session at Grantmakers in Health (GIH) Annual Conference Our first two days at the Grantmakers in Health Annual Conference (reportedly the most attended in its history), felt like an exhilarating lead-up to our session on the final day, as we engaged in conversations on shifting dollars, resources and power to communities. Alongside … Continued
Localization in Evaluation: A Three-Part Series January 30, 2024 By Judy Ney As the world evolves at an unprecedented pace, our approach to program evaluation must evolve with it. Localization—an intentional adaptation of evaluation processes to authentically reflect the cultural, social, and contextual realities of the communities involved—has emerged as a powerful strategy. By prioritizing local knowledge and expertise, localized evaluation offers the promise of producing assessments … Continued
LGBTQ+ Evaluation: Building a Liberatory Praxis Together – eStudy 123 Resource Guide August 31, 2022 By Judy Ney This two-day, six-hour, participatory American Evaluation Association eStudy filled a gap in LGBTQ+ Evaluation training by taking an inquiry-based approach in which attendees developed practical skills in LGBTQ+ Evaluation while reflecting on the question, “How can our work as evaluators help to advance LGBTQ+ peoples’ liberation?” The eStudy was designed to help participants develop the … Continued
Putting Descartes Before the Report: Telling Your Evaluative Story with the Grid Design System October 5, 2023 By Judy Ney I’m Rose Konecky, Evaluation and Learning Consultant at TCC Group. I’m here to turn you into a creator of visualization masterpieces. Really! As evaluators, we always have a story to tell, but we sometimes limit ourselves to words (which, of course, are important) and canned chart creators (also important!). I’m here to show you how … Continued
Convenings Pre-Conditions Diagnostic Tool June 17, 2022 By Judy Ney Convenings are powerful opportunities for learning, connection, and action. Yet for those thinking about hosting a convening, the first step is answering a fundamental question: Should you be convening to begin with? In our more than 40 years of designing, leading, and evaluating convenings of all sizes and formats, we have seen that prospective conveners … Continued
Join Our Corporate M&E Community of Practice May 2, 2023 By Judy Ney Calling all Corporate Social Good Evaluators! Are you or someone you know responsible for measurement or evaluation in a corporate social good setting- Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG), etc.? This is an invitation to join a thriving community of practitioners to share ideas, address challenges, and advance effectiveness. Measurement and evaluation (M&E) … Continued