| In a 90 minute Roundtable session, the first
rotation uses the first 45 minutes and the second rotation uses the last 45 minutes.
|
| Roundtable Rotation I:
Using Citizen Science to Increase Organizational Capacity, Investment in the Evaluation Process, and Program Outcomes |
|
Roundtable Presentation 815 to be held in Balboa A on Saturday, Nov 5, 8:00 AM to 9:30 AM
|
|
Sponsored by the Organizational Learning and Evaluation Capacity Building
|
| Presenter(s):
|
| Rachel Becker-Klein, PEER Associates, rachel@peerassociates.net
|
| Tina Phillips, Cornell University, tina.phillips@cornell.edu
|
| Abstract:
Increasingly, non-profit organizations will need to rely on the assistance of volunteers to meet their programmatic goals. However, in the absence of well-articulated objectives for enhancing volunteer experiences beyond one-time events, retention of volunteers may become more difficult. Citizen science, i.e., the intentional engagement of the public in scientific research, (Bonney et al. 2009) has the potential to deepen volunteer experiences aligned to programmatic goals while also broadening the audience base to meet organizational goals. In addition, the process and goals of citizen science are well aligned with those of evaluation, so that involving program staff and volunteers in conducting research may serve to increase their investment in evaluation. During this roundtable we will present a new NSF-funded Pathways project operated by the National Audubon Society, that seeks to build and test various models for incorporating citizen science and mentoring opportunities in order to achieve organizational and programmatic goals.
|
| Roundtable Rotation II:
A Knowledge-Sharing Roundtable Designed Specifically to Strengthen Collaborative Evaluation Capacity Building Practices in Support of Social Change Work |
|
Roundtable Presentation 815 to be held in Balboa A on Saturday, Nov 5, 8:00 AM to 9:30 AM
|
|
Sponsored by the Organizational Learning and Evaluation Capacity Building
|
| Presenter(s):
|
| Julie Poncelet, Action Evaluation Collaborative, julie_poncelet@yahoo.com
|
| Catherine Borgman-Arboleda, Indendent Evaluation Consultant, cborgman.arboleda@gmail.com
|
| Rachel Kulick, Action Evaluation Collaborative, rakulick@gmail.com
|
| Abstract:
There is a need for strategic approaches and models to build the evaluation capacity of social change organizations. Evaluators are in the unique position to co-design and implement practical teaching and learning strategies that support the integration of evaluative thinking and practice in internal organizational reflection and planning. Practical approaches to collaborative evaluation capacity building must focused on key aspects of social change organizations - leadership development, community organizing and engagement, building alliances, networks and campaigns, advocacy, communications and shifting power - and the challenges in evaluating these relationship and process based changes. We will facilitate a discussion on the nature of social change work and organizations, and how evaluators can best engage to strengthen social change strategies and organizational capacity. Key topics: building data collection and reflecting on what is already happening, collaborative analysis, and creating ways of reporting findings that meet both internal knowledge needs and funder accountability.
|