{"id":9159,"date":"2021-09-13T20:07:33","date_gmt":"2021-09-13T20:07:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/?post_type=cde-knowledge-base&#038;p=9159"},"modified":"2025-08-13T15:19:03","modified_gmt":"2025-08-13T20:19:03","slug":"empowerment-evaluation","status":"publish","type":"cde-knowledge-base","link":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/en\/knowledge-base\/building-evidence\/empowerment-evaluation\/","title":{"rendered":"Empowerment evaluation"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"9159\" class=\"elementor elementor-9159 elementor-10449\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-3c56d621 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default tf-sticky-section tf-sticky-no\" data-id=\"3c56d621\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;tf_sticky&quot;:&quot;no&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-9daa615\" data-id=\"9daa615\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3bc08eee elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3bc08eee\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"c28\"><strong><span class=\"c16\">Empowerment evaluation<\/span><\/strong><\/h3><p class=\"c22\"><span class=\"c26 c50\">Empowerment evaluation supports program improvement by giving organizations and community members the tools to take ownership of the evaluation process. While there are similarities with participatory evaluation, empowerment evaluation has more emphasis on giving program staff, volunteers, and others involved in delivering a program or initiative (the chefs of the kitchen) the skills and tools to evaluate their program\u2019s efforts. In empowerment evaluation, evaluation becomes embedded as part of the organization or program. In addition to having the tools and skills for program delivery, program staff working in\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"c37 c26\">la cocina<\/span><span class=\"c16\">\u00a0also have tools for measuring their success.<\/span><\/p><h4 id=\"h.wxurvn8aq5v\" class=\"c71\"><span class=\"c34 c68 c81\">Getting started<\/span><\/h4><p class=\"c22\"><span class=\"c26 c50\">Encourage a culture of learning about program \u201crecipes\u201d and evaluation within your organization and community. Consider community recipes for\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"c37 c26\">pan\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"c16\">(bread). Kneading the dough well is a critical part of baking. Kneading is something that everyone can participate in, from grandparents to grandchildren, and yet sometimes knowledge in systems remains with one or few individuals. The recipe and ways we evaluate their products, like rise of the dough, texture, and taste, do not get passed on. The more individuals within your organization that understand the logic, processes, and ingredients necessary for your program, the more likely your program is to succeed, grow, and adapt.<\/span><\/p><p class=\"c22\"><span class=\"c16\">Before starting the empowerment evaluation process, consider the following:<\/span><\/p><ul><li class=\"c22\"><span class=\"c8\"><\/span><span class=\"c16\"><span class=\"c16\">Is this an evaluation that will be recurrent?<\/span><\/span><\/li><li class=\"c22\"><span class=\"c16\"><span class=\"c16\">Are there members of the organization that are committed to learning and being involved in the evaluation process?<\/span><\/span><\/li><li class=\"c22\"><span class=\"c16\">Does the organization have the tools and resources (staff time, funding, access to stakeholders) to continue evaluating their programs after the consultant is gone?<\/span><\/li><\/ul><p class=\"c22\"><span class=\"c26 c50\" style=\"font-weight: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-weight );\">As you answer the questions above to check if empowerment evaluation is a good fit for your organization, review the 10 principles for empowerment evaluation and discuss how each principle applies to y<\/span><span class=\"c13\" style=\"font-weight: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-weight );\">our evaluation team.<\/span><\/p><h5>10 principles for empowerment evaluation<\/h5><ol><li class=\"c20\"><span class=\"c46\">Improvement. Through evaluation, we can explore strengths of our program\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"c46 c63\">receta<\/span><span class=\"c34 c46\"><span class=\"c34 c46\">\u00a0and build on those strengths. We can also explore areas where the program can do better and grow.<\/span><\/span><\/li><li class=\"c20\"><span class=\"c46\">Community ownership<\/span><span class=\"c13\"><span class=\"c13\">. \u00a0Sustainability of evaluation is easier when community members have a voice in program development.<\/span><\/span><\/li><li class=\"c20\"><span class=\"c46\">Inclusion.\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"c13\"><span class=\"c13\">\u00a0Consider who currently has a voice in the program and who doesn\u2019t. Evaluation teams and processes should include diverse perspectives.<\/span><\/span><\/li><li class=\"c20\"><span class=\"c46\">Democratic participation.<\/span><span class=\"c13\"><span class=\"c13\">\u00a0Strive for open and fair decision-making.<\/span><\/span><\/li><li class=\"c20\"><span class=\"c46\">Social justice.\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"c13\"><span class=\"c13\">Consider how evaluation processes can address social inequities in your community.<\/span><\/span><\/li><li class=\"c20\"><span class=\"c46\">Community knowledge.<\/span><span class=\"c13\"><span class=\"c13\">\u00a0Consider community members as experts on their own lives and experiences.<\/span><\/span><\/li><li class=\"c20\"><span class=\"c26 c55\">\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"c46\">Evidence-based strategies.\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"c13\"><span class=\"c13\">Along with community knowledge, offer or seek knowledge from evaluation specialists and scholars in research or community practice.<\/span><\/span><\/li><li class=\"c20\"><span class=\"c26 c55\">\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"c46\">Capacity building.<\/span><span class=\"c13\"><span class=\"c13\">\u00a0empowerment evaluation should provide program staff and community members with systems and tools to improve program planning and implementation.<\/span><\/span><\/li><li class=\"c20\"><span class=\"c46\">Organizational learning.\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"c13\"><span class=\"c13\">\u00a0Data collected from evaluations should be used to create new and adapted practices (recipes) and inform decision-making. In addition to building on successes and learning from mistakes, organizations can adapt as they go, rather than waiting until after the program or service is delivered.<\/span><\/span><\/li><li class=\"c20\"><span class=\"c46\">Accountability\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"c13\">\u2013 empowerment evaluation teams engage community members and staff responsible for a program and seek to understand if the program accomplished its objectives.<\/span><\/li><\/ol><p class=\"c22\"><span class=\"c26 c50\">Download the Principles for Empowerment Eva<\/span><span class=\"c26 c50\">luation handout below to distribute and discuss with your evaluation team.<\/span><\/p><h6 class=\"c22\"><span class=\"c16\">Source: Fetterman, D. M. and Wandersman, A. (2005). Empowerment evaluation principles in practice.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-weight );\">New York: Guilford Publications.<\/span><\/h6><h4 class=\"c22\"><span class=\"c34 c68 c81\">Collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data<\/span><\/h4><p class=\"c22\"><span class=\"c16\">Using an empowerment evaluation approach would involve the time and commitment from different individuals involved in the program to:<\/span><\/p><ul><li class=\"c22\"><span class=\"c8\"><\/span><span class=\"c16\"><span class=\"c16\">Develop or adapt surveys and assessment tools as a group<\/span><\/span><\/li><li class=\"c22\">Observe program activities and\/or complete descriptive accounts of events, programs and places<\/li><\/ul><h4 class=\"c22\"><span class=\"c34 c68 c50\">Critical friends in empowerment evaluation<\/span><\/h4><p class=\"c22\"><span class=\"c26 c50\">In empowerment evaluation, community organizations can involve a \u201ccritical friend\u201d that cares about the program and can act as a guide through the evaluation process. This might be an outside evaluator<\/span><span class=\"c37 c26\">\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"c16\">that shares the values of your organization and has experience with participatory or empowerment evaluation (Fetterman, 2014).<\/span><\/p><h5>Notes from la cocina: Considerations for empowerment evaluation<\/h5><blockquote><p>When we invite community members in the kitchen to cook something healthy, they are more likely to join our table and share in the results. The more that we engage those involved in a program\u2019s efforts, the more likely they will be to find the results relevant to their lives and act on the recommendations (Fetterman, 2014).<\/p><\/blockquote><blockquote><p>Sometimes we can feel defensive of a longstanding family recipe and resist adapting it for new generations. Similarly, working from within an organization or community can make us feel attached to old processes. An outside evaluator can give a different perspective from members within the organization (Friedman, 2001).<\/p><\/blockquote>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-39c0257 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default tf-sticky-section tf-sticky-no\" data-id=\"39c0257\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;tf_sticky&quot;:&quot;no&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-e00f027\" data-id=\"e00f027\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-96d1ba7 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default tf-sticky-section tf-sticky-no\" data-id=\"96d1ba7\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;tf_sticky&quot;:&quot;no&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-3fc3bb3\" data-id=\"3fc3bb3\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5e75621 elementor-align-left view-more-post elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"5e75621\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/en\/knowledge-base\/building-evidence\/how-do-i-spread-the-word\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t<i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fas fa-chevron-right\"><\/i>\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-394cf00\" data-id=\"394cf00\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d337aad elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d337aad\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span class=\"c26 c50\">For sharing your work, see <a href=\"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/en\/knowledge-base\/building-evidence\/how-do-i-spread-the-word\/\">How do I spread the word?<\/a><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-0e15755 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default tf-sticky-section tf-sticky-no\" data-id=\"0e15755\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;tf_sticky&quot;:&quot;no&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-2ee0016\" data-id=\"2ee0016\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2d244dd elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"2d244dd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div>\u00a0<\/div><div style=\"text-align: right;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 200;\">Last updated 2024<\/span><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Empowerment evaluation Empowerment evaluation supports program improvement by giving organizations and community members the tools to take ownership of the evaluation process. While there are similarities with participatory evaluation, empowerment evaluation has more emphasis on giving program staff, volunteers, and others involved in delivering a program or initiative (the chefs of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17871,"template":"","meta":{"_cbd_carousel_blocks":"[]"},"media_category":[146,228,233],"media_tags":[272,282,266,278,313,283,302,284],"class_list":["post-9159","cde-knowledge-base","type-cde-knowledge-base","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","media_category-esperanza-united-departments","media_category-toolkits","media_category-building-evidence","media_tags-capacity-building","media_tags-documentation-and-evaluation","media_tags-free","media_tags-research-and-evaluation","media_tags-service-provider","media_tags-service-providers","media_tags-toolkit","media_tags-toolkits"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cde-knowledge-base\/9159","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cde-knowledge-base"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/cde-knowledge-base"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"version-history":[{"count":25,"href":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cde-knowledge-base\/9159\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36403,"href":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cde-knowledge-base\/9159\/revisions\/36403"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17871"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9159"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"media_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media_category?post=9159"},{"taxonomy":"media_tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media_tags?post=9159"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}