IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/epplan/v100y2023ics0149718923001234.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Exploring the value of pro bono evaluation work as a method to build evaluator competencies and strengthen organizational capacity

Author

Listed:
  • Connors, Susan C.
  • Komaie, Goldie
  • Proctor, Jeff

Abstract

The Cultivating Evaluation Education and Development (CEED) program engages early career evaluators in an experiential learning experience by supporting them as they lead a pro bono evaluation for a local nonprofit community organization. We explored the value of this professional development to the early career evaluators, to the sponsor organization, and to the nonprofit organizations receiving CEED services by examining findings from six CEED projects. We found that early career evaluators self-reported gains in confidence and competence especially in four American Evaluation Association Evaluator Competencies (2018) domains - professional practice, methodology, planning and management, and interpersonal skills. The initiative allowed the sponsor organization to expand connections with community organizations, implement work consistent with the mission, and provide new mentoring opportunities. Representatives from the recipient nonprofit organizations reported they gained a deeper understanding of evaluation, improved their dissemination efforts, and built organizational evaluation capacity.

Suggested Citation

  • Connors, Susan C. & Komaie, Goldie & Proctor, Jeff, 2023. "Exploring the value of pro bono evaluation work as a method to build evaluator competencies and strengthen organizational capacity," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:epplan:v:100:y:2023:i:c:s0149718923001234
    DOI: 10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2023.102346
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149718923001234
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2023.102346?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Wade, Jay & Kallemeyn, Leanne, 2020. "Evaluation capacity building (ECB) interventions and the development of sustainable evaluation practice: An exploratory study," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    2. Froncek, Benjamin & Mazziotta, Agostino & Piper, Verena & Rohmann, Anette, 2018. "Evaluator competencies in the context of diversity training: The practitioners’ point of view," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 122-128.
    3. King, Jean A. & Ayoo, Sandra, 2020. "What do we know about evaluator education? A review of peer-reviewed publications (1978–2018)," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Turner, James A & Guesmi, Bouali & Gil, José M. & Heanue, Kevin & Sierra, Miguel & Percy, Helen & Bortagaray, Isabel & Chams, Nour & Milne, Cath, 2022. "Evaluation capacity building in response to the agricultural research impact agenda: Emerging insights from Ireland, Catalonia (Spain), New Zealand, and Uruguay," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    2. King, Jean A. & Ayoo, Sandra, 2020. "What do we know about evaluator education? A review of peer-reviewed publications (1978–2018)," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    3. Ayoo, Sandra, 2023. "Perceptions of evaluator professional autonomy in North American evaluation practice," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    4. Lennart Reifels & Amy Morgan & Lay San Too & Marisa Schlichthorst & Michelle Williamson & Helen Jordan, 2021. "What Works in Community-Led Suicide Prevention: Perspectives of Wesley LifeForce Network Coordinators," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(11), pages 1-14, June.
    5. King, Jean A. & Clinton, Janet, 2022. "Introduction to the special issue on evaluator education," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    6. Diaz, John & Chaudhary, Anil Kumar & Jayaratne, K.S.U. & Assan, Elsie, 2020. "Expanding evaluator competency research: Exploring competencies for program evaluation using the context of non-formal education," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    7. Sowl, Stephanie & Amrein-Beardsley, Audrey & Collins, Clarin, 2022. "Teaching program evaluation: How blending theory and practice enhance student-evaluator competencies in an education policy graduate program," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:epplan:v:100:y:2023:i:c:s0149718923001234. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/evalprogplan .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.