Date: Friday, October 30, 2026
Hello Colleagues! I am Jen Gathings (she/her), Senior Research Associate with ETR Services and a Consultant at Catalyst Consulting Group (both based in Durham, NC).
When Monifa Beverly, Owner of Beverly Consulting Group in Charlotte, NC, Co-Founder of Linked Arms Evaluation, and current President of the North Carolina Evaluators Network (NCEN), reached out to ask about my interest is writing a blog post for AEA365, she unknowingly (or perhaps very intentionally!) prompted me to reflect on my recent use of a new evaluation approach when evaluating a climate resiliency education program.
Ripple Effects Mapping (REM) is a participatory evaluation approach that combines one-on-one interviewing, facilitated discussion, mind mapping, and qualitative data analysis while encouraging participants to reflect on outcomes, impacts, unintended consequences, and next steps. The approach begins with using Appreciative Inquiry to encourage participants to focus on successes rather than challenges. Participants are paired with another participant, provided with a list of prompts, and given time to share responses and stories. During the next phase of the session, the full group participates in a mapping exercise. When the session is finished, the data are coded and analyzed.
To say I was nervous about facilitating my first REM session was an understatement, and maybe some of you can relate. Using a new approach came with uncertainty: will this approach generate useful data? Will we learn anything new beyond what we’ve already gleaned from the focus groups and one-on-one interviews? Will our partners feel like their participation was a good use of their time?
I left that meeting as a REM convert.
REM blends common evaluation methods into a powerful participatory approach. REM leverages methods and skills that evaluators commonly utilize in their practice (e.g., one-on-one interviewing, facilitated discussion, qualitative data analysis, etc.) to deepen discussions about a program’s effectiveness. Using Appreciative Inquiry to guide the discussions helps session participants to see (both literally and figuratively!) the areas of their work that have been most impactful.
REM yields new insights. The collaborative nature of the activity encouraged session participants to both reflect on the past and imagine possible futures together. Despite having already conducted one-on-one interviews with everyone who participated in the REM session, I learned new information about the program, its successes, and partnerships. Mapping the resources, relationships, and impacts also helped to make clear the ways in which community investment generated other forms of community capital. In the end, our evaluation team was able to tell a more complete story of program impact.
REM creates a much-needed space. After the REM session, participants voiced their appreciation for having the time and space to collectively reflect on and celebrate the program’s successes. And because REM sessions typically end with discussions about the future, the approach has great potential to inspire and motivate participants toward future action.
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