Позитивные изменения. Том 3, № 4 (2023). Positive changes. Volume 3, Issue 4(2023) - Редакция журнала «Позитивные изменения»

for its pioneering efforts in implementing a data-driven approach to evaluate projects within the realm of social entrepreneurship.[50] Since 2012, the foundation has been helping develop projects by social entrepreneurs, which are aimed at improving the quality of life of children and youth throughout Russia. What sets them apart is their remarkable ability to engage accelerator participants in the intricacies of evaluation, diligently and consistently assisting them in establishing a robust evaluation framework.

“Accelerators that collaborate with social entrepreneurs are increasingly incorporating evaluation into their training programs and prerequisites. Aspiring entrepreneurs are now arriving at our competition more prepared with a better understanding of evaluation. Beyond our sector, we observe that business accelerators and entrepreneurial communities continue to express interest in this topic, albeit with a broader interpretation of the term ‘impact’ and a slightly different perspective on evaluation. Some entrepreneurs believe that the significance of impact assessment is overemphasized, while others fail to comprehend how assessment can be conducted without considering financial indicators — a rarity in practice within the social sector. It appears that a fresh business perspective on evaluation within our sector would be beneficial. Conversely, I believe that the business world would also find value in the sector’s expertise in this domain,” states Sofia Shaginian, Head of the Impact Startup Support Program at Reach for Change Foundation.

The PROOсenku Club[51] receives recognition for its invaluable contribution to fostering an expert community in the field of project and program evaluation. This club convenes monthly online meetings under the banner of “An Interesting Conversation in a Good Company.” The Club’s mission is to support a community of practitioners dedicated to integrating evaluation into the work of socially oriented organizations. Education, level of training in evaluation, and practical experience are not important for the participants.” The founders of the club are Process Consulting, Siberian Center Holding and Garant Group of NGOs.

“The essence of our club lies in coming together once a month for insightful discussions on evaluation-related topics in an engaging manner. We maintain an open-door policy, extending our invitation to anyone seeking to advance the cause of evaluation within their organizations. This means that anyone can attend, listen, share their insights, and pose questions to our panel of experts. We think we are doing quite well: more than 300 people already attended, and initiative has been met with enthusiastic response. So we believe that we’ve successfully filled a void in the landscape. Now, every month, you have the opportunity to engage in a fruitful discussion on evaluation within a supportive community,” affirms Alexey Kuzmin, Co-Founder of the PROOcenku Club and CEO of Process Consulting.

The Siberian Center Holding is another deserving recipient of this category’s award. Since 1996, the organizations under the holding’s umbrella have been dedicated to training leading personnel in NGOs. Beginning in 1999, they embarked on a journey to champion the cause of evaluating social projects and programs.[52]

In 2023, their project, “Formation of an Ecosystem for Learning and Enlightenment in the Field of Evaluation in the Social Sphere,” devised in collaboration with partners, secured co-financing from the Presidential Grants Fund. It introduces a three-tiered approach to education:

• The Professional Level involves a comprehensive 144-hour-long qualification enhancement course in evaluation, featuring both face-to-face and online sections.

• The Actualizing Level offers a condensed 24-hour professional development course in evaluation, available exclusively online.

• The Supporting Level focuses on disseminating knowledge in the field of evaluation and facilitating the exchange of experiences through community gatherings, modeled after the PROOcenku Club meetings.

For seasoned evaluators — those who have either conducted external evaluations, coordinated such evaluations, or commissioned them — an Evaluation Institute has been established.

“When we conceived this educational program, we consulted with legal experts and the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia. Our aim was to amalgamate expertise from various fields, including sociology, fundamental and applied sociological research, and financial consulting. After all, evaluation is all about determining effectiveness,” explains Irina Reshta, Project Coordinator at InA-Center Association and Vice President for Program Affairs at Siberian Center Holding.

The architects of this project conducted an indepth analysis of the educational landscape for evaluators in Russia, identifying two primary groups of prospective clients for their training programs. On the one hand, there are those who seek concise training. Often, individuals in this category lack a precise understanding of which competencies to develop. On the other hand, there are specialists who desire more extensive, long-term training, complete with guidance, support, and direct interaction with educators. These individuals are willing to invest in their education, yearning to become part of a professional community, and they possess a clear understanding of which competencies they need to reinforce and what contemporary knowledge they need to acquire.

By July 2024, the project’s organizers plan to train 100 NGO employees in Russia, with state education documents issued for them.

“PERSONAL CONTRIBUTION TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT IN VARIOUS PROJECTS AND PROGRAMS” CATEGORY

In this category, we also have three winners: Natalia Kosheleva, Irina Efremova-Garth, and Vladlen Zamorsky.

Natalia Kosheleva, a consistent contributor and expert for the Positive Changes Journal, a featured guest on the Positive Changes Factory podcasts, and a board member of the Association of Program and Policy Evaluators (ASOPP), received her award with gratitude towards the magazine’s editorial team and the Positive Changes Factory for providing a platform to discuss the topic of evaluation.

“Thanks to the Positive Changes Journal, I have authored articles in Russian about two evaluation methodologies — Outcome Mapping[53] and Outcome Harvesting.[54] I’ve also had the opportunity to discuss these methodologies on the journal’s podcasts.[55] Subsequently, I mustered the courage to conduct a webinar on the same topic during the ASOPP conference. The response was heartening, with people expressing relief that we’ve finally introduced a methodology suitable for their projects. This is truly gratifying for me, as I typically feel reserved about discussing matters I haven’t personally crafted. Sharing insights into these