Reflections on our first year as Evaluation Consultants

Hello!

We’re Chantal Hoff and Evan Kuras , Evaluation Consultants at MXM Research Group. As Evaluation Consultants, we each lead a portfolio of projects in areas including public health, youth development, environmental justice, and workforce development.?

We joined MXM about one year ago (September 2022), and in reflecting together on our first year as Evaluation Consultants, here are three things we’ve tried to navigate. We hope these musings are especially useful for those early in their evaluation and/or consulting careers or looking to pivot in this direction.

1. In what way is consulting invisible?

Because of the invisibility of consulting, we both grew up with only a vague understanding of the profession. But we have learned a lot in our first year with MXM. As consultants, we are not the ones providing direct service or implementing social change projects. We are usually meeting privately with project teams to help them do this work effectively and equitably, since they are the ones with the context, relationships, and skills to do so. If we’re visible at all, it’s usually during a milestone event - an important focus group or a final presentation. But hopefully, if we’ve done our jobs well, you feel the impact of our work - a team uses literature to strengthen their theory of change, a tool is developed in partnership with community members, or findings get into the hands of the folks actually using them.?

Extra from Evan: I grew up the child of two teachers, and took for granted how much I valued the "frontline" professions that are centered on providing direct services to the public. I realize now that I had a bias against consulting, reinforced by cultural narratives, as something unnecessary or even extractive. The invisibility certainly didn’t help! I now see consulting as just as important as “frontline” work, and find particular joy in working with youth-serving programs.?

Extra from Chantal: I used to work for non-profits, and it was pretty easy to explain what my organization did. For example, we were a non-profit focusing on… [insert mission statement, vision, and values here]. Consulting is different because we work with different clients, in different capacities, who have different focus areas. At times, this is how consulting can feel invisible - our focus or role isn’t always “obvious.” Recently, I’ve realized how valuable this can be: because I’m a part of so many different conversations with different projects and clients, I can draw throughlines and share learnings between organizations and projects.

2. Why is consulting important for social change?

As evaluation consultants, we can bring an outside perspective to help teams connect their work, their mission and vision, their values, and their theory of change. Ultimately, our job is to ask questions. By doing so, we create containers to help teams to pause, reflect, and re-ground themselves in their purpose and their goals for social change. Without these spaces for reflection and learning, it is too easy for teams to maintain the status quo and go the path of least resistance.

Extra from Chantal: Social change work is hard! In my non-profit work, it was easy to get lost in the weeds of implementation. There was always something else, something more we wanted to do. While I sometimes miss being so deeply embedded in project teams, I’ve found that my role as consultant or even “outsider” puts me in a unique position to ask lots of questions and share a new perspective that can lead to new strategies, ideas, and opportunities for exploration.?

Extra from Evan: I’ve come to enjoy being part of the infrastructure of social change, just as much as the spelling blocks and cozy carpets in my mom's kindergarten classroom. Can children learn without blocks and carpets? Yes. Will they have a more joyful, robust, and lasting experience with that infrastructure in place? Yes. I think I am well suited to be in the background - attentive, supportive, and helpful. (I think my mom was actually training me for this role by having me help out in her classroom so often!)

3. Enough teasing - what do consultants actually do???!!!

People come to us because they have a question or a problem they can’t solve themselves. As evaluation consultants, we leverage both our evaluation skills (e.g., designing evaluations, collecting data, interpreting and analyzing the data, and sharing it back) and our consulting skills (e.g., facilitation, design thinking, generally asking lots of questions) to help our clients find answers.?

Extra from Evan: In addition, I try to bring joy and respite to the people who are often stressed and in the weeds of difficult social change work. The social/nonprofit sector is systemically under-resourced and there are some compelling explanations for why that is (cough cough capitalism - cite nonprofit AF). The staff we work with are often putting out fires, dealing with crises, and feeling immense pressure. If I can spark some joy with an icebreaker prompt, unearth some laughter with a ridiculous metaphor, or validate that “Less Is More” and “Your Sanity and Capacity Matters,” then I am providing an important service.

Extra from Chantal: For me, I like to wear one additional hat - the hat of a learning partner or teacher. The magic in consulting from me is less about handing out a verdict and more about walking alongside clients as they navigate sticky questions, make sense of data, or apply data to their strategic planning processes. These lightbulb moments remind me that projects can be more than creating a final product or deliverable - they are opportunities for our partners to practice thinking intentionally, creatively, and evaluatively, so they can be in better service of the communities they serve.

Working as an evaluation consultant is joyful, challenging, and ultimately, rewarding. As we enter our second year at MXM, we look forward to exploring our growing edges, connecting with new and existing clients over delicious meals and productive meetings, and deepening our consulting practices.?

We love connecting with fellow evaluators and evaluation enthusiasts! If this article resonated with you, please connect with us here on LinkedIn. If you’re interested in our work, you can check out MXM’s website, follow MXM on Instagram, and sign up for our newsletter.