Introduction to Developmental Evaluation

Whereas traditional business models often focus on profits as a measure of success, social entrepreneurs typically measure their success by measuring the degree of their social impact. But how do you measure social impact? 

For those of you in the Kitchener-Waterloo area, Michael Quinn Patton will be speaking on Tuesday October 7 2008 as part of the SiG@Waterloo Innovation Dialogue Series, and will be discussing this very topic. Patton coined the term Developmental Evaluation to describe evaluations that take place in situations where goals and outcomes are not pre-set but rather evolve as learning occurs.

Developmental evaluation supports continuous progress and rapid response to complex situations with multiple variables. In such cases, the evaluator is often an integral member of the program design team. Developmental evaluation does not replace other forms of evaluation, rather it seems best suited for initiatives that are at an initial stage of development for undergoing significant change, and can benefit careful tracking.

Measuring social impact is certainly a challenge for many people in the social entrepreneurship, non-government and non-profit sphere, and is a topic that I hope to explore in further detail.

Posted via web from Renjie Butalid