Evaluation as a Key Performance Indicator

August 1, 2023

Evaluations are pivotal to understanding the context, challenges, and accomplishments of civil society organizations (CSOs) and governmental institutions, especially when aligned with clear learning objectives. They allow these organizations to systematically assess and improve their performance and effectiveness and provide valuable insights to the public, policymakers, funders, observers, and even their employees about their nature, goals, priorities, and added value.

For example, a small CSO that works to empower marginalized groups in a particular community through educational and skill-building interventions can use evaluation to identify the most effective approaches tailored to their unique context, which could lead to enhanced resource allocation and more significant positive changes for the marginalized people the CSO serves. Valuable insights gained through the evaluation help understand the reasons behind successful and unsuccessful interventions and inform decisions based on evidence collected directly from rights holders.

However, a prevailing issue exists where evaluations are prioritized mainly when foreign entities (often in the Global South) or official governmental bodies (often in the Global North) fund interventions, leading to accountability-driven evaluations that largely overlook learning objectives, opportunities, and practices. This approach can hinder the organization’s vision, purpose, and objectives, resulting in failures to achieve declared goals and deliver promised services.

There is a need for these CSOs and governmental institutions to recognize that evaluations are not merely for external accountability but a powerful tool for internal learning and growth. Embracing evaluations as opportunities to gain insights and make informed decisions will foster a learning-driven and adaptive approach, enhancing their overall performance and effectiveness.

Resistance to evaluations can often be attributed to a detrimental institutional culture and learning shortcomings, especially among leaders who fail to see the value in evaluation. Such leaders may believe they possess comprehensive knowledge about their CSOs or governmental institutions, rendering evaluations unnecessary in their eyes. They may view evaluations as obligations of UN agencies and other large-scale international non-governmental organizations (INGOs). Hence, they eagerly avoid these burdens whenever possible. Working with these leaders to highlight evaluations’ benefits and showcase success stories can help them understand the broader impact of evaluation practices, which can go a long way.

Evaluations are essential means through which CSOs and governmental institutions can ensure systematic learning and adaptation. Neglecting this vital medium is akin to a person not taking their prescribed medicine or, more accurately, refusing to undertake necessary preventative actions for their well-being before falling ill. Hence, authentic and meaningful evaluation, and the extent to which CSOs and governmental institutions utilize it, is a reliable indicator of organizational performance and effectiveness.

It is essential to acknowledge that while evaluations are helpful performance indicators, they should not be the sole –or seen as flawless– measures of institutional performance. Organizations should foster a continuous learning and improvement culture, encouraging open communication, knowledge-sharing, and experimentation to complement insights and evidence gained through evaluations and create a more holistic and adaptive organization.