Step 7: Evaluation and Reflection

Step 1: Setting Goals and Planning suggested that you think about evaluation during the planning process. Having an evaluation plan will help guide the types and frequency of evaluation you will carry out over the course of the initiative. Here are some examples of elements you might want to include in your evaluation plan³:

• Track monitoring activities on a monthly or seasonal basis and organize the information in a way that it can be accessed at a later date. Consider taking detailed notes in a field notebook, electronically, or both. For example, make note of things like:
  • Who did the monitoring
  • When and how long it took them
  • Where and how they got there
  • How they did it (e.g., methods, equipment)
  • What went well or what you would do differently next time.
• Track revenue, expenses, and in-kind contributions on a monthly or seasonal basis and organize the information in a way that it can be accessed at a later date. Consider using a spreadsheet and keep copies of all of your receipts and invoices. This will be helpful later on for preparing financial reports and understanding the true cost of your initiative.
• Document any outreach activities, both within and beyond the community, as they take place. For example, make note of things like:
  • What they were
  • When they took place
  • Who the target audience was
  • Number and demographics of participants, readers, viewers, etc.
  • What worked well and any lessons learned.
• Conduct surveys and interviews among staff, participants, community members, partners, and others involved in the initiative on a periodic basis. It’s important to make time for the project team and others to reflect on and discuss what they have learned and what they would do differently next time. More information on participatory evaluation approaches is included in the Resources section below.
• Report against your goals, objectives, work plan, and budget and ask yourself whether the data and knowledge collected is achieving your goals. Remember that for apples to apples comparisons of the information over time, the methods need to be consistent. However, if the approaches are not providing the desired results or are not financially sustainable, it’s best to adjust the monitoring plan sooner rather than later (refer to Step 4: Approach and Methods and Step 5: Knowledge Management).
• Compile reports and success stories on a seasonal or annual basis which summarize all of the activities and lessons learned related to your initiative. Audiences for these reports may include community members and leaders, partners, and funders.
• Review the findings and adjust accordingly then assess how effective the changes were during your next evaluation and reflection process. Consider aiming for continuous improvement.

Tools for developing an evaluation plan are provided in the Resources section below.

As with any community project, your climate monitoring initiative will have challenges along the way but it will also have successes. In Step 1: Setting Goals and Planning, you learned about setting goals and identifying measures of success. It’s important to take time to celebrate those successes, no matter how you define them, with the community and others. For example, you could share some project highlights through a community newsletter or social media or you could recognize participants for their efforts at a community event or gathering (refer to Step 6: Learning and Sharing). Consider sharing your success story with an on-line platform such as this Toolkit or the Indigenous Climate Hub.