Mutually Beneficial Partnerships and Evaluation

As evaluators, we develop partnerships to build bridges between dedicated community members and funders. At the American Evaluation Association (AEA) national conference in Minneapolis in November 2019, ACET created a poster on mutually beneficial partnerships for the AEA poster session.

Why are mutually beneficial partnerships important in evaluation?

1. Partnerships that benefit everyone at the table improve communities while managing the different evaluation needs of each.

2. Partnerships emphasize many perspectives. “It is especially important to attempt to engage all perspectives because those that are not particularly engaged well are often those that programs are trying to reach,” says ACET Research Associate, Ashley Kitchen, one of the coauthors. “We cannot call our data complete, reliable, or valid if we are not bringing all perspectives to the table.”

3. Partnerships build trust with both communities and funding agencies.

A key aspect of building partnerships is bridging the needs of community-based organizations that don’t always have the capacity to measure impact while making changes in the community with the needs of funders who are focused primarily on sharing metrics and examples of changes in the community.

If you’re interested in having ACET help you with an evaluation to promote equity and mutually beneficial partnerships, please contact us at info@acetinc.com. We offer a free initial consultation!