In our last blog post we shared reflections from our Cohort-Based Capacity Building (CBCB) work, which entails group learning sessions paired with individualized organizational coaching. In this article, we dig deeper into our coaching practice to build evaluation and learning capacity, and highlight the work one of our coaches, Elba Garcia, did with Kendra Fujino O’Donoghue, Founder/Executive Director, and Michela Chatmon, Program Director, from Envision Your Pathway (EYP) – a youth development nonprofit that participated in the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative funded Impact Lab. Elba shares lessons from this coaching engagement so that other organizations can apply them on their ongoing evaluation and learning journeys, whether working with a coach or not.
Key Lessons for Organizations on their Learning Journeys
Stay Grounded in Your Organizational Brand
Throughout the coaching experience, EYP staff shined at staying grounded in their organizational brand – mission, values, culture, and other aspects that make up who they are as an organization. For example, EYP knew that they wanted their evaluation and learning system to feel authentic to them and the young people they serve, but they didn’t know if and how it would be possible to capture the complexity and uniqueness of their work. EYP was concerned that to evaluate their work they would have to simplify their story and focus on things that felt measurable rather than meaningful. This tension is common for organizations, and many fall into the trap of overly focusing on things that are easy to track versus the things that reflect the essence of their work for a variety of reasons including: external pressure to satisfy funder reporting requirements, or limitations to their current evaluation capacities. To allay EYP’s concern, I offered affirmation that focusing on measuring what felt authentic to them as an organization would benefit them in the long run even though it would require more sustained commitment and work for them to get there.
Don’t Be Afraid to Be Creative & Try New Things!
EYP is a lean organization without substantial financial or people resources to spend on evaluation and learning. So, EYP staff and I needed to figure out ways to collect robust data without layering on more evaluation tools or processes that would strain the organization’s resources. Drawing on the Monitoring and Evaluating Life Skills for Youth Development Toolkit, I suggested ways that EYP could collect data creatively by embedding them into their existing program activities. An embedded approach resonated with EYP, and they decided to try out the youth observation method. Though EYP staff were already organically noticing changes among the youth they worked with, they didn’t have an intentional and structured way to elicit and document observations. Nevertheless, EYP excitedly jumped on the opportunity to think about modifications they could make to their program activities to test out the approach. Often organizations hesitate to implement new data collection approaches because there is a misconception that it will feel like an add-on task or require a lot of work. However, with a little creative thinking like EYP demonstrated, organizations may find that data collection can be seamlessly integrated into their existing program activities.
Bring the Needed Perspectives to the Table
EYP’s Executive Director and Program Director consistently participated in all coaching sessions. Having participation from both was helpful for making progress on EYP’s evaluation and learning goals because of the perspectives they brought into the room. We had big picture thinking about what the evaluation and learning meant for the organization and its long-term aspirations, as well as more tactical thinking about implications for evaluation and program implementation. In our work with other organizations, we often find that evaluation design work can stall when there isn’t sufficient and consistent engagement from staff with essential perspectives. We commend EYP’s staff for continually and consistently showing up to coaching. We know this can be especially challenging for smaller organizations where staff wear multiple hats and have a lot of demands on their time.