| In a 90 minute Roundtable session, the first
rotation uses the first 45 minutes and the second rotation uses the last 45 minutes.
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| Roundtable Rotation I:
Holding up a Mirror: Investing in an Internal Implementation Evaluation as a Vehicle to Document a Funder's Process and Inform Decision-making |
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Roundtable Presentation 139 to be held in Santa Barbara on Wednesday, Nov 2, 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM
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Sponsored by the Internal Evaluation TIG
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| Presenter(s):
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| Artineh Samkian, First 5 LA, asamkian@first5la.org
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| Jessica Monge, First 5 LA, jmonge@first5la.org
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| Abstract:
This presentation documents a funder's process in developing a research and evaluation agenda as we move from a project-based funding strategy to a primarily place-based one. Special attention is given to an implementation evaluation, which will systematically document the process of carrying out our strategic plan so as to inform decisions. Consistent with the growing literature on utilization-focused evaluation (Patton, 1997) and the expressed need to ensure stakeholder buy-in and engagement (Preskill & Caracelli, 1997; Taut & Alkin, 2003; Johnson et al., 2009) it is critical to attend to the context in which the evaluation is taking place and to attend to the role of the evaluator. As a semi-internal, semi-external evaluation that reflects on and scrutinizes our own process as a funder, this case study poses an interesting opportunity to examine how the use of findings is affected by both the context and the evaluators responsible for providing feedback.
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| Roundtable Rotation II:
Building and Cultivating Internal Evaluation in the Not-for-Profit Sector: A Critical Reflection of Our Roles |
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Roundtable Presentation 139 to be held in Santa Barbara on Wednesday, Nov 2, 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM
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Sponsored by the Internal Evaluation TIG
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| Presenter(s):
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| Lymari Benitez, Harlem Children's Zone, lbenitez@hcz.org
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| Kira Krenichyn, Ramapo for Children, kkrenichyn@ramapoforchildren.org
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| Abstract:
In recent years, the role of evaluators in the not-for-profit sector has changed. Increased delivery of social services, government initiatives and associated demands for reporting and accountability have created the need for nonprofits to build internal capacity for program evaluation. As internal evaluators, we are faced with the challenges of external and internal demands for evaluation data and results. Although our experiences are different (one of us the first and only internal evaluator at a small organization, and the other a part of a large evaluation team), we both agree that successful internal evaluation needs to be participatory and requires support from senior management. This roundtable will be an opportunity for internal and external evaluators at all levels, or anyone whose work involves building internal evaluation capacity, to reflect upon their roles, share and discuss challenges associated with supporting not-for-profit work, and brainstorm strategies to build internal evaluation capacity.
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