How can evaluators more effectively support creative nonprofits?

Abstract Information: Oregon has a rich history and current ecosystem of creative nonprofit organizations with diverse missions, including support for youth learning in and through the arts. These organizations, and the people who propel them, are in a unique position to think creatively about their progress, success and impacts, and to center the youth in their programs while doing so. Unfortunately, they are also often in the position of navigating pressure to deliver quantifiable results, to measure the physical, while doing work that very much transcends these narrow boundaries. Like many nonprofits, creative organizations often lack the resources to do the kinds of evaluation work they are otherwise so well-positioned for. There are many reasons why creative organizations struggle to evaluate their work, and why evaluators may have a difficult time helping them do so. This can be a reflection of where an organization is in its lifecycle, and its journey with regard to evaluation. This can also be the result of misalignment of priorities or lack of shared understanding within an organization, or between organizations and funders, especially with regards to what can be measured or known. It can be challenging for evaluators to truly meet these organizations where they are and provide the right data and tools to support their creative missions, especially when working from outside the organization as an independent evaluator. During this think tank session, participants will hear brief stories from people working inside and alongside creative Oregon nonprofits, sharing their personal and professional journeys related to evaluation. These stories will serve as examples to reflect on and discuss in small groups to explore the core question: How can evaluators more effectively support creative organizations? While we will co-create more specific questions for exploration with attendees, related sub-questions likely to form include: Beyond standard evaluability assessment, how do we know what kinds of evaluation an organization really needs and is ready for? What does it look like to align evaluation efforts with an organization’s developmental journey and with their creative mission and approach? What does it mean to center the people doing the work, and the communities and youth they are doing it with? What is possible when creative organizations work toward more robust evaluation and learning and we allow or challenge ourselves to think creatively too?