Evaluation and strategic learning
Evaluation FOR learning
For many folks, evaluation is synonymous with measurement—it’s seen as a dry, technical exercise. As I see it, evaluation is first and foremost a habit of inquiry that can help organizations to make sense of their own intervention and of the complex environment they are operating within.
Fundamentally, evaluation is a management function that can help organizations to better accomplish their mission – acting like an antenna that captures and unscrambles important feedback signals relating to their programs and activities.
Capacity-building at the centre
Co.spire’s approach to evaluation is centred around facilitation, coaching and capacity-building. My goal is always to do the work along with the initiative’s primary stakeholders, to build opportunities for learning and reflection right into the assignment, and to enhance end users’ own ability to do and to use evaluation that is relevant and useful to their decision-making needs.
“Nancy's approach is well-grounded in best practices: she developed a series of practical evaluation tools, trained our staff to implement them, and ensured that we are accurately assessing the impact of our program. Through her thoughtful and engaging approach, she helped our staff to understand complex concepts in program analysis.”
— Program manager, environmental sustainability NGO
Evaluation and strategic learning for networks, community change and advocacy initiatives
There is no one-size-fits-all way to approach and undertake evaluation. Rather, it’s important to find the right approach for each type of initiative or program. Networks, collaboratives, community change and policy advocacy work all have certain features in common:
They can have multiple moving parts and simultaneously focus on different targets;
The pathways to the long-term changes sought are unpredictable, and are influenced by many factors beyond the control of the initiative;
As the context and the constellations of players are constantly changing, the goalposts move along with them.
When I work with these types of complex initiatives, I seek to:
facilitate flexible and adaptive planning that creates a compass rather than a roadmap, and that uses real-time feedback to make adjustments along the way;
Assess contribution to results rather than attribution;
Work with stakeholders to capture the knowledge that is distributed throughout the action system;
Engage end users and other key stakeholders in sensemaking;
Recognize the value of evaluation and learning at different points in the process. Different areas of focus will matter to different sets of actors at different points in time - for instance, assessing capacity development or the achievement of interim progress markers.
Clients and collaborators
Teaching, training and coaching
Social and circular economy project
Workshops on assessing impact in culture and recreation, le 9e Rendez-vous du loisir culturel de la Ville de Montréal
Carleton University, Master of Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership program: Course instructor, Program and Policy Evaluation
Public policy, collaborative initiatives and partnerships
Evaluation of 2017-2023 Solidarity Alliances (part of Government Action Plan to Foster Economic Inclusion and Social Participation)
Centraide of Greater Montreal’s Collective Impact Project: overall evaluation framework, Year 1 and Year 3 evaluation of philanthropic model and partnership. Learn more
Development evaluation of partnership - Strengthening Communities Through the Social Economy project
