OUR APPROACH
Discovering the ‘Value’ in Evaluation
Evaluations are often undertaken to prove to external stakeholders (funders, partners, authorities) that a program or service is "worth" their support. This means providing external stakeholders with evidence of "value" for their investment, whether that investment was made in money, time, energy, or dedication.
Moving the Needle
In social purpose initiatives, "value" can mean moving the needle on a financial, economic, environmental, or social challenge that is negatively affecting individuals, families, communities, and social infrastructure. Positive changes attributable to an intervention can ripple through networks, not just affect individual lives. It becomes important therefore to investigate positive changes from various perspectives to properly assess the nature and value of impacts experienced by different entities.
Ripple Effect
Positive changes may take place at the individual, family, community, societal, or systems levels.
Changes can be the direct or indirect result of an initiative, program, service, or activity
When determining the value of an intervention, we can consider both direct and indirect effects. The strongest and most obvious effects are usually the immediate outcomes that are clearly linked to the intervention. However, many interventions also contribute to less obvious intermediate and longer-term outcomes. These are often the result of collective efforts, requiring additional investigation. The evaluation of collective impact brings to light the critical role of networks and collaborations in creating lasting positive change.
The Value of Prevention
There is great value in assessing the positive outcomes of an intervention, but there is also value in identifying negative outcomes that have been avoided. Negative consequences can be experienced at individual, family, community, societal or systemic levels. These can escalate if the appropriate supports are not available, resulting in a variety of personal, social, or economic costs. If an intervention minimizes or eliminates negative consequences (represented by the dotted blue line in the image below), then the value of prevention can be considered in addition to the value of the gains or improvements that have been made.
We can measure both positive gains and reduced risks
Catalyst for Change
Some changes may be directly attributable to an organization’s work. Other positive changes are a contribution to a collective effort that may become more subtle over time.
Making Improvements to Programs and Services
Once you’ve identified the range of benefits that have resulted from your intervention, you can communicate more effectively and comprehensively about the impact of your work. You can also assess whether expectations have been met and what improvements you might want to make to your programs and services going forward.