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A Clash of 'Policy Change' Values: The Challenges of Attempting to Evaluate Everything That The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund Does
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| Presenter(s):
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| Andrew Cooper, The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund, andrew.cooper@memfund.org.uk
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| Abstract:
The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund ('the Fund') is undertaking a major evaluation of our work, as we spend our remaining capital on policy change, and move towards closure in 2012. Conducting a Fund-wide evaluation raises many challenges, including how our contribution to policy change is measured, how we compare different programme areas, and how to share learning externally. However, the greatest challenges relate to the issue of values. For example, which stakeholders is the evaluation serving our Board, beneficiaries, grantees, or the broader philanthropy sector? As we are spending out, the purpose of the evaluation is to influence other funders and philanthropists. This raises tricky questions about the role of evaluation in policy change and influencing, and the need to be transparent about our successes and failures, without damaging the reputations of others. This session will explore how we are tackling the potential clash of values in relation to this major evaluation of our work.
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Taking the Measure of "Role" And "Contribution": A Mixed Methods Approach to Policy Evaluation
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| Presenter(s):
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| Bronwyn Mauldin, First 5 LA, bmauldin@first5la.org
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| Teryn Mattox, First 5 LA, tmattox@first5la.org
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| Abstract:
This case study describes an evaluation of five years of work toward three policy goals by a public grantmaking agency. We began by interviewing internal and external stakeholders to determine what progress had been made toward the policy goal, and to understand perceptions of our agency's role and contribution to that progress. In addition, policy department staff were asked to identify their start and end points on a continuum of policy change and to provide quantitative data on such variables as dollar amount invested and staff effort. Findings from the two methods were not identical, but complementary. We found perceptions of the agency as a funder gave it the greatest impact on policy goals. As a result, we recommended an increase in policy grantmaking. While this effort to quantify "role and contribution" in policy change gave deeper understanding into the agency's work, this model will need further development.
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