It’s logical! How to develop a Program Logic Model
The Logic Model: it’s just logical! A Logic Model is an important tool to help set up a robust and meaningful evaluation. The process of developing a Program Logic Model is an important first step carried out by the consultant (evaluator) and the client project team, in close collaboration with one another. It is important […]
Read moreEvaluation of an important disaster response program
The 2019-20 bushfire season was the worst New South Wales has recorded. Over the course of a few months, 26 lives were lost, 2448 homes destroyed and 5.5 million hectares of land burnt. If I say St Vincent de Paul Society, what do you think of? Vinnes charity shops along main streets? You’d be right, […]
Read moreEvaluation on a shoestring
It’s the beginning of a new year and you may be wondering how you can afford to conduct that important evaluation of your program, initiative or activity. You won’t be alone. But if you’ve ever felt you shouldn’t proceeded with commissioning an evaluation because of budget or resources constraints, think again. I’ve worked with many […]
Read moreCan too much positivity be a bad thing?
If you run a program, project or initiative that you intend to evaluate, it’s natural that you hope the evaluation will show evidence of positive outcomes. Favourable evaluation outcomes may be needed for your initiative to leverage ongoing funding, perhaps from government, philanthropic funders, or other foundations. As an evaluator, there have been many times […]
Read moreFeatures of a good peer support program
Last week (19-25 September) was Dementia Action Week. Dementia impacts close to half a million Australians and almost 1.6 million Australians are involved in their care. I’m proud to working with Dementia Australia on an evaluation of their new Peer to Peer support program. Dementia Australia is the peak national body and charity for people, […]
Read morePractising what I preach
For almost 20 years, my evaluation work has taken me to regional and remote Australia, researching and evaluating arts, disaster recovery and community building projects. In 2018 I researched and wrote an important guidelines document for Regional Arts Australia: Collaborating with Regional Communities. This publication was designed to assist those working in regional communities achieve […]
Read moreEvaluation: 4 reasons to plan ahead
If you work in the delivery of programs, events or initiatives in a sector that has been particularly impacted by COVID—perhaps the arts or cultural sector—it’s likely that things have been a little quiet over the past 12 months. You may have been forced to delay the delivery of something new, and budgets may have […]
Read more5 things councils need to know about evaluation
Evaluation is important on a local government level for many reasons. As a discipline and process it will enable you to better plan your programs, initiatives, events and activities. It will also give you the tools the test your internal or public documents and strategies. But if you don’t have a lot of experience conducting […]
Read more5 tips for good survey design
As we emerge from the pandemic and start to evaluate COVID- response programs and initiatives, it’s likely that you may need to collect data in the form of online surveys. Online survey software is available to everyone at little or no cost. But if your survey is not well designed, the internal validity (accuracy) of […]
Read moreEvaluating like COVID contact tracers
Contact tracing is the process of gathering information about the people a known case of COVID-19 might have been in contact with, and the places they have been. Australia now has a well established COVID contact tracing system. I believe contact tracing can serve as a reminder as to what good evaluation is about. And […]
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