Resources for #eval in a time of crisis

Some colleagues and I have been working to rapidly help our organizations and community partners use evaluative thinking and other evaluation approaches to promote learning and adaptive management in this difficult moment of crisis brought about by COVID-19. I had noticed some good ideas on this topic flying around, so I decided to pull a few of them together into one spot. The result is below: 

Evaluation During Crisis – COVID 19 (Infographic) – Tips on evaluating during a crisis. From the UNDP Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) (@UNDP_Evaluation)

Evaluation Implications of the Coronavirus Global Health Pandemic Emergency (Blog post) – How Michael Quinn Patton is making sense of the global health emergency and what he thinks the implications may be for evaluation. By Michael Quinn Patton (@MQuinnP) at Blue Marble Evaluation (@BMEvaluation)

Discussion on Challenges and Strategies for M&E in the Time of COVID-19 (Online conversation, April 1; notes to be shared following the event) – The M&E community is adjusting its practices to support program needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. This online discussion will provide an opportunity for practitioners to:

• Discuss M&E challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic with fellow practitioners
• Hear how other organizations are addressing these challenges
• Connect with M&E colleagues to brainstorm strategies for prioritizing and adapting M&E within current activities

Hosted by the USAID Implementer-Led Design, Evidence, Analysis and Learning (IDEAL) activity.

Reflecting on the Role of Evaluator During This Global Pandemic (Blog post) – Tips, tools, and ideas from internal evaluators who have been scrambling to adapt to the ever-shifting and urgent demands placed upon non-profits by the COVID-19 pandemic. By Miranda Yates on aea365 (@aeaweb)

The Evaluation Mindset: Evaluation in a Crisis (Bog post) – Cartoons and thoughts on evaluator roles during a crisis. How we can use our evaluation expertise and skills to support our society in an unprecedented time. By Chris Lysy (@clysy) on freshspectrum

Navigating Together: Learning, Evaluation, and COVID-19 (Facebook Group) – The evaluation and social change world as we know it is rapidly changing in ways we can’t predict. This group is for people facilitating learning and evaluation in a COVID-19 world. Let’s navigate this together, sharing questions, concerns, resources, support, and inspiration. Hosted by Inspire to Change (@inspiretochang8)

Living (and Working Virtually) in Uncertainty (Blog post) – Several principles and practices to support community as the Interaction Institute for Social Change, like so many other organizations, moves to largely virtual work. By Cynthia Silva Parker (@CynthiaSParker) at the Interaction Institute for Social Change (@IISCBlog) via @InnoNet_Eval

Developmental Evaluation Resources (Resource compilation) – Guidance on an evaluation approach that can assist social innovators develop social change initiatives in complex or uncertain environments (useful in a crisis). From BetterEvaluation (@BetterEval)

Complexity-Aware Monitoring Discussion Note (Brief paper) – A discussion paper intended for those seeking cutting-edge solutions to monitoring complex aspects of strategies and projects. By Heather Britt and @USAIDlearning

A Quick Primer on Running Online Events and Meetings (Resource compilation) – A set of resources on online meetings. By Emma Smith at BetterEvaluation (@BetterEval)