Guidance

As Evaluation Officers and staff craft new or revise existing evaluation policies, here are some questions to consider:

1. Capacity and Resources

• Is there an expressed commitment to building the knowledge and skills needed to commission, conduct, and use evaluations?
• Is there expressed support for providing funding and personnel time for evaluation?

2. Participation

• How are evaluators selected?
• Is there acknowledgement that evaluation is not just the evaluators’ job, but one that extends to others in the organization?
• Who should be involved and in what capacity (ex: planning, implementing, using findings)?

3. Use

• How will findings from evaluations be used to inform actions? Is this clearly stated?
• How will evaluation use be supported?

4. Equity

• Are evaluations designed to surface local context that may impact the generalizability of findings?
• How are evaluations providing value to grantees and the communities they serve?