Although the benefits of independent evaluation are widely accepted, it risks being perceived as a distraction and/or merely a tick-box exercise to benefit funders.
For these and other reasons, I design my evaluations to be as meaningful and proportionate as possible, through working very closely with commissioners to ensure we focus on what is really needed and gather useful information.
My evaluations also balance the desire to generate of relevant insights with budgets and other contexts.
I commonly support agencies to enhance their own data collection and internal evaluations.
“We really benefited from engaging Berni early on … This ensured that all the necessary evaluation tools were put in place at the start of the project. Berni was quick to understand our needs; she was organised, efficient and collaborative in her approach. Berni’s in-depth qualitative interviews gave us a better understanding of the multi-faceted impact of our service, and the case studies she wrote brought the project to life and illustrated the nature of Contact’s work to prospective funders and the general public”
Silvia Laraia, Monitoring and Evaluation Manager, Contact
“Many thanks Berni, you have made a great contribution to the project and we hope be able to work with you again in the future”
Viv Cooper OBE, Chief Executive, The Challenging Behaviour Foundation