International Advocacy Evaluation Community of Practice
We are working with international NGOs engaged in advocacy work to develop a community of practice on advocacy evaluation. Sign up for email updates on Community news and events.
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What is a community of practice? A community of practice is a group of people who share a concern, a set of problems, or a passion about a topic, and who deepen their expertise in this area by interacting online or in person.
What is the focus? Our Community focuses on the monitoring and evaluation of advocacy for global social change issues that include development, poverty, the environment, climate, peace, and security. Advocacy in the global South that is conducted by individuals and organizations from the global South is a particular priority.
What is the purpose? The Community is a forum for sharing experiences, raising questions, identifying good practice, addressing common challenges, and seizing common opportunities. In its fullest form, the Community will enable collaborative advances that are beyond the reach of any single organization or individual and can only be achieved with broad-based input and action.
Who can participate? Participation is open to all social change advocates, researchers, advisors, funders, collaborators, and supporters of international social change advocacy. The Community is for participants from all parts of the world, including both the global South and the global North.
How is it organized? A working group of collaborators from international NGOs, advocacy organizations, academia and think tanks, foundations, and other supporters of international social change advocacy is stewarding the Community. Initially, two organizations are coordinating this effort:
- Center for Evaluation Innovation: The Community builds on the Center’s pioneering work in building the field of advocacy evaluation.
- Innovations for Scaling Impact (iScale): The Community builds on iScale’s work in advancing the evaluation of international advocacy, including its work with the Advocacy Impacts Learning and Evaluation initiative (AIsLE) supported by the Gates Foundation, and the iScale/Network of Global Action Networks Impacts Community of Practice (ICoP), backed by the International Development Research Centre.
What is it doing? Currently, the Community is:
- Establishing a common information exchange. It is increasing the availability of information on good international advocacy evaluation practice. This is being realized in the efforts of coordinating organizations to establish robust websites and schedule Community events.
- Co-sponsoring webinars and informal gatherings. These opportunities for discussion will allow Community members to share new tools or innovations, discuss responses to common questions, and share their experiences on evaluations either in progress or already completed.
Currently, we are co-sponsoring a webinar series with InterAction's Evaluation and Program Effectiveness Working Group.
- Co-promoting workshops and other events. In addition to sponsoring its own programs, the Community is increasing awareness about other events and resources.
- Recruiting collaborators to explore the development of guidelines for good practice. While donors and others continue to call for monitoring and evaluation as a means of external accountability, many advocates are even more interested in using it to help them learn, improve, and meaningfully report their results. Guidelines for good practice can help advocates to meet these goals while also educating donors and others.
How do I get involved? Those interested in learning more about the Community or helping to lead this effort should contact:
- Julia Coffman of the Center for Evaluation Innovation
- Horacio Trujillo of Innovations for Scaling Impact (iScale).
