To Commission or Not To Commission?

For our upcoming event, we will be taking a look at the intricacies of commissioning evaluation. Join us as our panel explores the decision-making process between self-evaluation and engaging an external evaluator, and shares their experiences of what makes a successful commission.

Our panel of guest speakers: 

Jo Haffenden, Impact and Evaluation Manager at Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF), is a passionate and experienced knowledge and outcome impact analyst with 15 years of experience in data, evaluation and social impact measurement within the non-profit sector. Since its establishment in 2016, the MCF has disbursed £140 million in support, with a keen focus on impact and evaluation. Jo will share her careful considerations, from defining evaluation purposes to leveraging internal resources and selecting the right partners.

Deon Simpson, Evaluation and Learning Lead at Guy's and St Thomas' Foundation, is an experienced evaluator and researcher with over 10 years of designing, implementing, managing, and evaluating social programmes within a range of settings, including government, academia, consultancy and charity. As evaluators, we can readily judge whether evaluation activities will be useful to a project or process. But deciding between a self-evaluation and commissioning an external evaluator is less straightforward. To make this decision, Deon has created a checklist that guides evaluators and their stakeholders to think proactively about commissioning through three distinct lenses: ethics, equity and practicality. Deon will share their experience of using this checklist from the vantage point of an evaluator based within a foundation.

Tim Bidey is an independent design and evaluation adviser who works alongside charities of all sizes to help them do more good. He specialises in supporting them to design outcome-focused programmes based on insight and evidence and measure, understand and evidence the impact of their work in ways that work for them. A good commission is far more than a good ITT - it starts with the organisational culture it grows from, is shaped by the commissioning process as a whole, and needs regular attention until the evaluation ends. Tim will share the key factors that can help or hinder a commission, such as Starting with a clear background and purpose; setting an indicative budget, giving everyone enough time; dialogue within the debate, embracing change, and openness and participation.

We look forward to seeing you there!