Publications from ODSW Social Insights: Letters by DSW (Vol 1) | Page 110

Evaluation, Contribution and Attribution

In Conclusion…
The field of evaluation is growing fast and there are various methods and
approaches that evaluators, commissioners and managers of evaluations can
consider. What is necessary is to start to ask good questions even before we
ask questions about what to evaluate. Some of these questions include the
following. What has been achieved through current efforts? How effective
have they been in meeting the needs of the people they serve? What
do current data show? How can we develop and improve the service, or
demonstrate accountability to funders, or both? Who have experienced the
impact of what has been done? And what has the experience been like?
Finding answers to these questions could reveal insights about what needs
to be done which then warrants the question of what should be evaluated.
There should be appropriate logic, hypothesis about change or improvement
and alignment of what the provider intends to do to achieve what results. In
essence, there should be a clear statement of how the program will effect
change (outputs) and of what that change will look like (outcomes). This will
then provide the balance between the funder or donors’ need for evidence
of impact, without being overly burdensome for the provider. With a mutual
understanding, the evaluation framework should then be shared responsibility.
1st September 2014

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