Insights into Evaluation Capacity Building

Motivations, Strategies, Outcomes, and Lessons Learned

Abstract

Evaluation capacity building (ECB) is a topic of great interest to many organizations as they face increasing demands for accountability and evidence-based practices. While many evaluators are engaged in evaluation capacity building activities and processes with a wide variety of organizations, we still know very little about whose capacity is being built, what strategies are being used, and the overall effectiveness of these efforts. To explore these issues, a research study was conducted with 15 organizations that have been involved in ECB efforts during the last few years. The findings reported in this article are part of a larger study, and represent interviews with 25 evaluators and 13 clients (n = 38), who have facilitated and supported an organization’s ECB effort. We specifically focus on the participants’ motivations for engaging in ECB, the teaching and learning strategies used to facilitate capacity building, their perceived outcomes of this effort, and their lessons learned.