The organizational context within which monitoring and evaluation for public engagement are conducted has an impact on the evaluation process and outcomes. Evaluation is valuable not only as a tool for responding to funders (i.e. funder-directed or mandated evaluation), but also as a way for the organization to reflect on Read more…
Do’s: Don’ts: Practitioners’ perspectives: “I have been involved in evaluations with budgets ranging from under $1,000 to the hundreds of thousands. An evaluation with a smaller budget is not necessarily less valuable, but it does often require organizations to be very focused and specific about what they want to measure Read more…
Organisations should have a clear understanding of why they are conducting evaluations. The question of why should be asked particularly in the planning stages of your public engagement campaign. Ask yourself: What do you hope to learn from the evaluation? How you will use the information? Keep in mind the Read more…
“Public engagement activities often include events or one-time workshops with Canadians. How can we evaluate the impacts of these smaller engagements and ensure that they are contributing to our vision? Placing these activities in the context of an explicit and thoughtful theory of change illuminates their role in the profound Read more…
Do’s: Don’ts: Practitioner’s perspectives: “In 2012, my organization went through a process of determining how we believe change happens. This process involved gathering input from the majority of our staff over several months. With the help of outside consultants we mapped out the conditions we need to reach, the actions Read more…
Partnerships and collaborations that are formed in a spirit of inclusion can better respect and promote the value of diversity. Working with others allows for a diversity of organizations to be part of the conversation, helping to ensure that public engagement initiatives reflect diverse voices, actors and opinions.
Much of the public understands development as a question of charity – the idea that “we” (developed countries/the global north) need to give more to “them” (developing countries/the Global South). This has been described as the paradigm of the “generous giver / deficient receiver.” Many of our organizations have worked Read more…
Do’s: Don’ts: Practitioner perspective: “Through our public engagement campaign to raise awareness among Canadian teachers, students, and union members about global issues, we had some unexpected and unintended positive results, which we discovered through our regular monitoring activities. One of our Canadian partners spontaneously initiated the formation of a permanent Read more…
It is clear that the kind of work that we need to do is not superficial, and means enduring changes in our attitudes and perspectives, as well as our skills. It is hard work that requires us to take risks. Some have noted that in the past several decades many Read more…