Client: Large Nonprofit Organization

This highly participatory and equity-focused evaluation process required working closely with organization staff to evaluate their leadership programs for leaders from around the globe. 

Key components of this evaluation included two separate working groups; one made up of program staff and the second from program participants who advised the evaluation process along the way. Because we were working with both national and global audiences we paid special attention to language and the specific contexts of participants throughout the evaluation process. We also conducted meaning-making sessions with participants to gut-check findings and identify further areas for exploration. 

The evaluation yielded important findings and action-oriented recommendations stemming from the data about how programs could better serve participants and how the organization’s leadership could better support their programs to serve their participants. 

Client: Foundation

This strategic review of one of the Foundation’s portfolios was implemented with an equity approach. 

Key components of this strategic review included a boundary critique component to pressure test the Foundation’s key assumptions and hypotheses and identify how other voices in the ecosystem draw their own boundaries. Voices represented included “thinkers” (e.g., subject matter or policy experts), “supporters” (e.g., service providers), and “doers” (e.g., on-the-ground experts such as grassroots organizations). 

This process yielded useful and actionable feedback about the Foundation’s aspiration, assumptions, existing strategies, and potential future strategies that informed the Foundation’s strategic direction. 

Client: Foundation

This utilization-focused process evaluation of the Foundation’s complex initiative required a high level of tactful reporting due to the sensitive nature of information that came up. 

Key components of this evaluation included interviews with stakeholders representing multiple perspectives across the initiative and quickly developing rapport with interviewees to promote trust and transparency. 

This evaluation yielded an easy to digest, highly actionable report, with key quotes instrumental to highlighting key findings and lessons learned. Findings from this evaluation were shared through a virtual presentation across initiative stakeholders that was highly engaging and well-received. Key issues were collaboratively prioritized and the initiative lead committed to addressing key priority issues during the presentation. 

Client: Foundation

This case study of a highly successful coalition was commissioned by the Foundation to highlight the coalition’s successes. 

Key components of this body of work included in-depth interviews with key players and observers of the coalition’s work, a document review, literature review, and reports of journalists in the popular press to document the coalition’s approach to collaboration and their successes.

This case study documented the coalition’s unique context and innovative approach to coalition building and collaboration. It also documented contextual and potentially replicable factors that contributed to their success.