Key Services

Free advice surgeries for community and voluntary sector organisations. Information on upcoming surgeries will be available here, autumn 2022.

Interested in learning more about programme evaluation?

Better Evaluation is a really useful website containing content from many different people and organisations working in the global monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) community. https://www.betterevaluation.org/en/start_here

The website of the UK Evaluation Society often posts information on affordable training and conferences for those interested in applied research and evaluation.  https://www.evaluation.org.uk/events/

There are many organisations and online resources that can provide an introduction to Theory of Change. One resource particularly suited to the needs of small and mid-sized non-profits is the Center for Theory of Change. They have some very simple - and useful - software that is ideal for those using Theory of Change for planning and evaluation purposes. https://www.theoryofchange.org

Another resource for those interested in Theory of Change are any of the vast array of papers and resources produced by John Mayne, a Canadian evaluator who was the originator of contribution analysis, an influential development in effective approaches to evaluating social programmes and projects (a.k.a. complex interventions). His papers (and many others on research and evaluation methodology) can be found on researchgate.net

New government guidance on evaluation was published in 2020, which reflects how thinking is changing on best practice when researching and evaluating social interventions. This is a useful and quite readable guide, which reflects the advice and expertise of numerous policy and research professionals. As with all guidance, be aware that not all practitioners would agree with everything it contains - but I think all would agree it is a useful read. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/879438/HMT_Magenta_Book.pdf