Tag Archive for: evaluation framework

The Evaluator Values 

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At The Evaluator, we have always had a clear idea of what we do and why we do it. In 2024, we have clearly defined that with a statement of values.

The values represent who we are at heart, and what we do for our clients, as well as underpinning all of our work.

What are business values?

Business values are described as the core principles and standards that guide a company’s actions, decisions, and behaviours. They represent what a company stands for and are essential in shaping its culture, brand identity, and strategic direction. These values influence how a company interacts with its employees, clients, funders, and the community in general.

By clearly defining and consistently using values, organisations can create a strong, positive culture and a sustainable competitive advantage.

The Evaluator Business Values

 

Image of the evaluator ruler branding and the words creatively simple honest and useful

Our values are shown on the image above and are; Honest, Useful and Creatively Simple.

Core Value for The Evaluator: Honest

Honesty matters to us. When decisions are to be made about data – people need to feel that the results are honest. We need to be honest about how we have collected data – what questions did we ask, and where did we ask them. We are by nature, honest people, who say the truth, and that is the secret to our success. Honesty builds trust, and our clients know we will tell the truth. That means funders can trust our impartial evaluation too, and that has many benefits for our clients when it comes to applying for funding in the future.

Core Value for The Evaluator: Useful

What we are really passionate about is getting our clients to use data to make decisions! We want people to be inspired and enthusiastic about data, and what it can do for organisations. That means, we spend a lot of time focussing on what data people need and how they can use it. We train clients and the organisations we work with on how to collect the correct data, and how to understand the data. We often collect data for people too. What is essential to this value (usefulness), is that we collect the right amount of data which we can use. We do not collect large amounts of data that is stored and never looked at. We collect the right amount of data, which is often less than people expect, and use what we have collected. The secret to powerful data is about how it is analysed and used, not how much of it there is!

Core Value for The Evaluator: Creatively Simple

Data can be complex. We spend a lot of time and energy making it creatively simple for people to work with us. Examples of creatively simple ways to collect data are things like – sticker boards, marbles, hula hoops and giant dice. These have all featured in our work! There can also be creatively simple ways to demonstrate complex results and personal experiences to clients. This is a value that we are always working on in order to improve.

Why did we choose these values?

Founder and Director, Kirsty Rose Parker, explains “We have been working hard behind the scenes on articulating what it is that makes us stand out. Sharing our core values is the first step of this. We have looked carefully at all the steps that make up an evaluation with us. From listening to people at the beginning, to being creative with our methods at evaluation design time. We regularly challenge ourselves on how to be simpler, how to be more creative and also on how our work can be honest and useful. These values are now an everyday part of The Evaluator – helping us to grow as a team, whilst retaining our quality service and products.”

Why do values matter in evaluation?

These are our values, but we also often include client’s values in the evaluations we plan. We have helped clients decide what values work for new projects in the past, and then used those values to form the materials we create for clients. Having a short and memorable set of values is a great way to give new teams a frame of reference for their work. We look forward to a value-driven future creating great partnerships and measuring even more values.

 

If you are interested in measuring your values or helping to define them, then please get in touch on info@theevaluator.co.uk or call 01756 532 538 to book an informal discussion.

If you like what you have read here, but are not yet ready for a discussion, you can keep in touch with us by joining our mailing list or connecting with Kirsty on Linked In.

The link for our mailing list can be found here.

The link for connecting with Kirsty on Linked In can be found here.

Successful Client: The £1.6 million Climate FORTH project gets the go ahead

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Earlier this year, The Evaluator worked with Climate FORTH (Furthering Our Resilience Through Heritage) on their application to the National Lottery Heritage Fund, where we developed an evaluation framework for the whole project. They have just announced they were successful. That’s always a lovely day, sharing in the success of our clients.
The details are below:
A new £1.6million project in the Inner Forth has been granted just over £1million by the National Lottery Heritage Fund to boost the area’s climate resilience through the promotion and enhancement of local heritage.
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Climate FORTH is the latest project from Inner Forth Futures, a landscape-scale partnership which has been operating across the coastal areas of Clackmannanshire, Stirling, Falkirk and Fife since 2012. Since the partnership’s inception, it has delivered both the Inner Forth Landscape Initiative (IFLI) and Wanderings and Windings projects, enhancing and celebrating the local area’s heritage while improving access through a series of waymarked walking and cycling trails.

The new Climate FORTH project will build on these successes by piloting methods of increasing resilience to climate and other changes in the local area’s natural and built heritage, and in its most at-risk communities.

The River Forth at Kinneil Lagoons_Falkirk_Chloe Wells_RSPB.jpg
The project will soon begin work on the delivery of several new initiatives, including green skill training for young people and community groups, enhancement of sustainable travel options around the local area, and capital works at four locations across the project area. The works will improve the climate resilience of greenspaces at Glendevon Drive in Stirling and Rannoch Park in Falkirk, as well as an important community building, Cochrane Hall in Alva, Clackmannanshire and the Gardener’s Cottage ruin at Valleyfield Estate in Fife.
One of the first activities to get underway will be a rebranding of sections of the National Cycle Network which pass through the Inner Forth. Supported by Sustrans, this work will encourage more people to make use of the network and help establish the landscape as a destination for sustainable tourism.
A key aim of Climate FORTH is to pilot new techniques that can be shared with other initiatives and policymakers to inspire further action. The pioneering work of the project will be closely monitored so the knowledge obtained can support Scotland’s aim of achieving net zero emissions by 2045 and help communities move towards a just transition.
Four communities in particular have been identified as being key to the project’s goals, with members playing an active role in decisions involving their local area through the co-design of local resilience plans. They are Hawkhill in Clackmannanshire, Fallin in Stirling, Bainsford & Langlees in Falkirk and Kincardine in Fife.
Climate FORTH Project Manager, Kate Fuller, said, “We’re delighted to have been awarded this Heritage Fund support that will allow us to show how the diverse natural and cultural assets of the Inner Forth can be adapted to tackle the threats of climate change. We’ve seen through our previous work just how special this part of Scotland is. Thanks to National Lottery players, Climate FORTH will enable us to re-invigorate our work with the amazing communities that live here and support them to lead by example as Scotland moves towards achieving net-zero.”
Dave Beaumont, Operations Director for RSPB Scotland said, “We are in a nature and climate emergency and the only way we can meet this challenge is by facing it together. Estuaries such as the Forth are where we are seeing impacts from climate change right now – as sea levels rise, storm intensities increase and rivers flowing into our seas are carrying floodwaters much more frequently. The communities and the incredible wildlife found in and around our estuaries are more fragile than ever and this project will continue our efforts to make them more resilient to the changes ahead.”
Cosmo Blake, Network Engagement Manager for Sustrans Scotland, said, “We are delighted to work with Inner Forth Futures to create a new brand identity and better signage along sections of The National Cycle Network. As well as creating a new brand identity, we are also developing eight new day trips with maps, directional signage and additional bike parking and maintenance stations at local heritage sites and transport hubs. We hope this will encourage more people to walk, wheel and cycle and make sustainable choices when visiting the Inner Forth.”
Heather Macnaughton, Strategic Partnerships Manager at Historic Environment Scotland said, “This funding will build on the exciting work our partnership has already undertaken in the area to help protect this heritage rich estuary from the impact of climate change. Working with the local community, Climate FORTH will shine a light on the area’s natural and built heritage and the important part it can play in improving climate resilience and biodiversity. By working closely with our partners and communities, Historic Environment Scotland looks forward to developing solutions for future resilience and moving together towards a just transition.”
Caroline Clark, Director for Scotland, The National Lottery Heritage Fund said, “This is such an important project for our times – Climate FORTH will enable communities to take the lead in developing their own local responses to the challenges of climate change and Net Zero. What makes this project even more significant is that it will then create templates that can be adapted for use by other communities across Scotland and beyond.”
Inner Forth Futures is a partnership between RSPB Scotland, Clackmannanshire Council, Falkirk Council, Fife Council, Green Action Trust, Historic Environment Scotland, NatureScot, Stirling Council and Sustrans. Climate FORTH is partly funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, with additional funding from the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund, the Crown Estate, IFF members and the Scottish Government through Sustrans Scotland’s Network Engagement Programme. The project will be running from August 2023 – July 2026.
For more information, visit innerforthlandscape.co.uk.

Site Visit: Wilder Walkmill

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The Evaluator is delighted to be working with a new client, West Cumbria Rivers Trust to develop and write an evaluation framework for the nature site, and former colliery, Walkmill in Cumbria.

The site is currently used a lot by dog walkers and nature lovers, and has some quite unusual wildlife include rare dragonflies and adders. It is the site of a former colliery and we are excited to figure out how to link the industrial heritage into our evaluation plans. You can see more about West Cumbria Rivers Trust at their website here. 

We started this project with a site visit to chat to the main project team, and meet the consultants working on heritage interpretation, Minerva Heritage. We quickly found out we both are very keen on working WITH people, rather than FOR people and are looking forward to getting to know more about interpretation. You can see more about Minerva Heritage at their website here. 

It just happened to be a gloriously sunny day, what a wonderful way to start a project!

Image of site, Walkmill in Cumbria.