Participating in today's @equitableeval tête-á-tête. The opening point is about how EEI started with philanthropic foundations because to make the shift in #evaluation to serving #equity we have to have the "purchasers" on board. So in Canada... have we gotten there yet?

Are Canadian governments (who are the main eval purchasers here, federally and provincially) as well as our private foundations and corporate funders ready to support evaluation as more than a technical practice? I have the tentative hope that at least some are. We'll find out.

Really beautiful sharing from @stevenLFAgroup to start us off. Wow, I can relate to this. The pressure to impress funders, getting lost in the technical side, showing up as an expert, and how easy it is to get stuck in "building a thing" instead of moving a body of work.

Also the role of relationships! Who we have relationships with, the power dynamics of those relationships, and having to "fight our way into relationships with the communities" while also trying to keep the funders engaged. Evaluation status quo is not designed for relationship.

I'm going to get a neck crick from nodding along to this. @jdeancoffey, do I send you my chiropractic bill?

Hearing now from @anna_cruzreyes from @kresgefdn. Really curious to hear reflections from the funder side, and appreciating hearing about the invitation to honesty that she offered. Talking to funders is SCARY.

"What would it take for an evaluation report to also be in service of equity?" EXTREMELY GOOD QUESTION.

what I'm hearing from @stevenLFAgroup is that the tension isn't a problem, it's the place where the work happens. I experience this too--evaluation can become a microcosm in which to work through shifts in the bigger pattern. It's all connected.

I feel approximately 1000% less alone listening to all of this. Seeing our own patterns/orthodoxies/assumptions, noticing the constraints that are holding them in place, and working COLLECTIVELY to question, explore, and shift them. And the incredible insights that can emerge.

PHEW. Also a tension of hope and fear, because catching glimpses all over of just how BIG this work is and how it's not possible for any of us to do it alone (that being the *point*).

(Also the chat in this session is on fire. I love this community.)

BEYOND excited to be having conversations about evaluation existing in a context of capitalism and how this affects us. Hell of a system attractor. Also appreciating @stevenLFAgroup's reflections on how the shift to an equitable strategy helped them stay IN budget.

And @jdeancoffey also highlighting that as consultants we have different contexts and opportunities and risks about what we can do. More power, more money, more privilege changes the risk calculation, in more than one way. Not an answer, just more good questions, as promised.

Loving @anna_cruzreyes's reflections on the tensions and complexities of her role and how she sits in curiosity and brings herself to the role within this philanthropic context. Having people willing & able to sit in these spaces and HOLD these tensions is so crucial.

"Theory of change thinking" as opposed to just making a theory of change, bringing evaluation and strategy into closer alignment - @stevenLFAgroup YES. ToC is helpful as a living experience, not a static, finished thing. That's what theory is FOR.

A more engaging, meaningful evaluation process creates a more engaging, meaningful evaluation report - @anna_cruzreyes As evaluators, we're always talking about how to get people to read our reports, but what if we just started that engagement before we even get to the report?

From @jdeancoffey's comment about how our current approach to #eval is fundamentally extractive, taking knowledge from communities and "repackaging" it, how are we moving from extractive evaluation to reciprocal evaluation?

From @jdeancoffey - the skills to work this way are NOT automatic for evaluators. We can't assume we already have them. We have to work on it.

and @AishaRios17 sharing a story of pushing back on an RFP for DEI work that wasn't going to serve the actual purpose of equity, pushing back and getting a great response. A powerful act, and also a scary, vulnerable thing to do. RFPs need to shift as well.

Oo, BREAKING NEWS from @EngageRD about partnering with @equitableeval to explore consultant's experiences in doing equitable evaluation and what support we need. Excited to see where this goes.

I also know there's a group of us in Canada who are connecting and asking these questions specifically in our political context. What are our opportunities and strategies here? How can we support each other and use our power for change?

Finishing on a message of it being about who we are--where the change is and where the wisdom is. Thank you so much @jdeancoffey, @mac_ri, @anna_cruzreyes, @stevenLFAgroup, and all the awesome wise participants!