"The Evaluating C4D Resource Hub houses a growing collection of the best available guides, toolkits, tools and methods to use for research monitoring and evaluation (R,M&E) of Communication for Development (C4D) initiatives. The Hub is structured around two combined frameworks: C4D Evaluation Framew
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ork is an approach. It describes the values and principles that guide our decisions in C4D. The BetterEvaluation Rainbow Framework is a structure. It organises the practical tasks into seven categories or 'clusters' and provides options. The goal of the Evaluating C4D Resource Hub is to find the right kinds of options, tools and resources that suit your practical needs and match the approach you want to take." (www.betterevaluation.org/en/C4D-Hub)
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"Evaluation Practice for Collaborative Growth highlights the approaches, tools, and techniques that are most useful for evaluating educational and social service programs. This book walks the reader through a process of creating answerable evaluations questions, designing evaluation studies to answe
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r those questions, and analyzing, interpreting, and reporting the evaluation's findings so they are useful and meaningful for key stakeholders. The text concludes with a devoted to the shifting landscape of evaluation practice as it faces complex systems and issues that are shaped by society. Additionally, the author provides a list of knowledge and skills needed to adapt to a changing landscape and encourages organizations to use evaluation as a mechanism for learning and adapting to change. Her orientation toward community-based approaches and social justice prevail throughout the book's content and align well with a reader's desire to be inclusive and accountable in programing efforts. Nonprofit leaders, social science professionals, and students will find this book helpful for understanding basic program evaluation concepts, methods, and strategies." (Publisher description)
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"Based on over 40 interviews with practitioners, this report identifies “civic media practice” as media and technology used to facilitate democratic process. It focuses specifically on those practitioners using media tools to form relationships and build trust - a practice that sometimes runs co
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unter to the apparent needs of organizations to enhance efficiency through technology. This report identifies civic media practice as a direct response to the crisis of distrust and describes the negotiation of values that takes place as media is designed and deployed in organizations.
The process of identification and evaluation of civic media practice is described in detail. The report presents a method of process evaluation that allows practitioners to measure their progress along two central axes: social infrastructure and objective. Civic media practice is always striving towards strong social infrastructure and longevity. As a means of measuring progress along these axes, we identify four activities that can be tracked. They include: 1) Network Building; 2) Holding Space for Discussion; 3) Distributing Ownership; 4) Persistent Input. We present reflective questions that can be asked throughout a civic media project to track progress in these areas.
Finally, we provide recommendations for practitioners and funders as they create and support civic media practice. The institution of civic media is nascent. This report is meant to solidify common principles and provide direction for those invested in transforming civic life through media practice." (Executive summary, page 5)
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"This report puts forth a Walton Family Foundation (WFF) Media Impact Framework and identifies key indicators and research methods that can be used to assess journalism investments across program areas, based on best practices in the field of media strategy and research. The companion WFF Media Impa
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ct Toolkit provides a set of steps for grantmakers to take to get from the decision to invest in media all the way to identifying the appropriate indicators, targets and baselines. The information that follows is customized to reflect WFF goals, priorities and processes, but it is our hope that other partners can utilize the materials to become more effective communicators and grantmakers. This report also provides background information about the journalistic profession, noting in particular its differences from social change and advocacy organizations. This context is especially important for framing what can be difficult conversations with journalism organizations, given their commitment to neutrality and the recent— and ongoing — upheaval in the industry." (Summary, page 3)
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"Outcome harvesting is a monitoring and evaluation methodology used to identify, describe, verify and analyse the changes brought about through a development intervention. It is designed to collect evidence of change, and then work backwards to assess contribution to that change. It was partly inspi
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red by Outcome Mapping, and the two are often seen as complementary methodologies." (Introduction)
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"A real-time evaluation (RTE) is designed to provide immediate (real time) feedback to those planning or implementing a project or programme, so that they can make improvements. This feedback is usually provided during the evaluation field work, rather than afterwards. RTEs are normally associated w
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ith emergency response or humanitarian interventions." (Introduction)
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"Surveys and questionnaires are designed to collect and record information from multiple people, groups or organisations in a consistent way. Surveys and questionnaires can be used on their own as data collection tools. They are also an essential part of some more complex data collection and analysi
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s methodologies. They can be used at any time within a project or programme cycle." (Introduction)
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"A gender-responsive evaluation includes two main components. It assesses the degree to which gender and power relationships change as a result of an intervention. And it ensures that women’s voices are prominent throughout the evaluation. Gender-responsive evaluations can be used to evaluate any
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intervention, but should be always be used when there is a focus on women’s rights or empowerment." (Introduction)
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"Monitoring is the systematic and continuous collection and analysis of information about the progress of a development intervention. Monitoring is done to ensure that all the people who need to know about an intervention are properly informed, and so that decisions can be taken in a timely manner.
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There are many different types of monitoring, including financial monitoring, process monitoring and impact monitoring." (Introduction)
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"Some programme indicators are designed to be collected at programme level. Others are designed to capture, summarise or aggregate information collected at project or partner level. It is important to clarify how information on indicators is transmitted between different levels of a programme." (Int
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roduction)
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"Demystifying Evaluation is an accessible introductory guide explaining the options open to evaluators and how to make appropriate choices of research methods, covering issues such as managing expectations of evaluation, quantitative and qualitative methods, engaging stakeholders and providing actio
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n-orientated approaches to help end-users." (Publisher description)
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"In a Randomised Control Trial (RCT) different units are randomly assigned to separate groups. One group receives a development intervention and the other does not. Changes in the two groups over time are then compared to accurately measure the effect of the intervention. RCTs have been much debated
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over the past 10 years. Some see them as the ‘gold standard’ for impact assessment." (Introduction)
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"Indicators are commonly used in social development to provide evidence of change. They form an important part of most monitoring and evaluation systems and approaches. There are many different types of indicator, including quantitative and qualitative indicators. They can be developed in different
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ways, according to the context." (Introduction)
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"The application of Communication for Development (C4D) in conflict prevention, conflict reduction and post-conflict reconstruction interventions is a relatively new field. International organisations that have begun to adopt new communication & media designs in their peace work are progressively of
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fering a credible baseline to engage in the assessment of this practice. In this paper, I offer a short compendium of the evaluation frameworks I have developed through my empirical research on the impact of Communication for Development in Peacebuilding; this is presented alongside a number of reflections and followed by concluding considerations on the state of the field." (Abstract)
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"La comunicación para la transformación de conflictos es un área relativamente nueva dentro del vasto campo de prevención de conflictos y construcción de paz y por tanto ha sido sometida a escasos procesos evaluativos. Con el fin de comenzar a crear un modelo evaluativo que posibilite un análi
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sis de las acciones emprendidas en el marco de la comunicación para la transformación de conflictos y una aproximación holística que permita que la evaluación se convierta en una verdadera herramienta de aprendizaje, este trabajo repasa las propuestas evaluativas que han surgido desde las áreas de prevención de conflictos y construcción de paz así como las reflexiones generadas en la línea de medios de comunicación y conflictos. Desde el análisis de un proyecto llevado a cabo en Colombia, propone nuevas aproximaciones a la evaluación que reincorporen los procesos presentes en la transformación de conflictos." (Resumen)
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"The article outlines some of the ways in which an understanding of policymaker psychology and factors such as group dynamics and political context are reflected in the grey literature, and the implications of this for understanding the role of storytelling in political advocacy. It highlights pract
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ical advice about storytelling that emerges from the literature, and presents four case studies illustrating aspects of storytelling in action. It concludes by identifying the implications for scientists and other advocates of“evidence informed policymaking”, practitioners and policymakers." (Abstract)
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"This guide is designed for anyone who wants to learn how communication can more effectively support evaluation: evaluation consultants, communication consultants, evaluation commissioners and programme/project staff participating in evaluations. The guide is structured around three broad phases of
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the evaluation process: before, during and after. The guide aims to provide advice and practical hints on how to use communication for each of these phases. A communication plan of action template adapted for evaluation is provided at annex 1. Examples of innovative communication tools for evaluation are found at annex 2. A case study is included at annex 3 that can be used for learning purposes. Links to extra resources are found at annex 4. The guide explains how to use communication to support evaluation and readers can adapt and use these approaches depending upon the stage of the evaluation process, their own context and available resources." (Page 4)
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"Since The Seed Alliance started in 2012, the three program partners (FRIDA, FIRE and ISIF) have supported 151 projects throughout Africa, Asia Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, helping to strengthen and promote the Information Society within these regions. From the beginning of the program,
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a set of criteria was defined to evaluate the projects supported by Seed Alliance. The criteria work as a system of categories disaggregated into sub-categories which are evaluated both when the projects are initially submitted and when the final reports are presented by the supported organizations. The current report results from the consulting work by the FOCUS team, which was aimed at redefining Seed Alliance´s evaluation system (score card system) looking to improve the comparability among the different projects." (Introduction, page 3)
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"In order for evaluations to satisfy both the requirements of the implementing organisation and donors’ requirements, it is important that the process is properly planned and supported and that the scheduled timescale is adequate. When do I start planning? What constitutes high-quality Terms of Re
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ference? How do I assess whether a report is good or bad? These are typical questions that arise during an evaluation process. These guides have been produced to provide employees and partner organisations of Brot für die Welt – Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Bread for the World – Protestant Development Service) with practical assistance during the evaluation process. The evaluation process has been divided into ten steps. A guide has been produced for each of these process steps. The guides can be used independently of one another. There is also an introductory guide that contains basic information about the topic of evaluation. The data-collection step is performed by the external evaluators, meaning that there is no guide for this step. Each guide explains what needs to be considered during this step, why it is important and who needs to be involved. The aim is to provide important tips and assistance as to how the individual steps can be implemented. The guides are specifically tailored to external evaluations, but they also contain relevant information for other evaluation forms." (Foreword)
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