aes19 International Evaluation Conference

Alison Rogers (PhD Candidate, Centre for Program Evaluation)

Evaluation is challenging for human service non-profit organisations. Evaluation advocates are attempting to use evaluation to demonstrate change in the lives of their client group and are trying to find ways of embedding evaluation to improve services and be accountable.

I undertook research with 17 advocates who worked in culturally diverse non-profit Australian organisations. The advocates had meaningful, productive, long-term and mutually beneficial working relationships with evaluators.

The advocates displayed positivity, enthusiasm and persistence and influenced others to understand and use evaluation as a tool to achieve the vision of the organisation. Regardless of level on the hierarchy, gender or cultural background, they highly valued evaluation logic, evaluation literacy and positive interpersonal relationships. The advocates built environments where colleagues felt welcome, respected, supported, valued and comfortable to participate by promoting equity, inclusion and individualised consideration.

This presentation shares findings from a study that sought out the perspectives of end-users directly. The conference theme suggests that evaluators need to “draw on the knowledge and practices of those they work with” and this presentation will enable evaluation advocates to learn from external and internal evaluators and for evaluators to learn about effective strategies and approaches from the way the advocates work with their colleagues to promote evaluation.