Guide | Monitoring and Evaluation in Art for Social Change

Evaluation should be an iterative process not a once-off activity - nor is it linear. Some of these steps can be done concurrently; the order is flexible - precisely because it is an iterative process.

Step 1:

Why are you doing this evaluation?

The monitoring and evaluation (M&E) plan should be discussed from the start of planning the ASC project itself.

Your plan shouldn't be an afterthought.

Step 2:

Who will you work with?

Who do you want to work with in this ASC project?

What community organizations, artists, target population, funders?

You'll want to include these parties throughout the process - including the initial planning stages.

Step 3:

How can you monitor ongoing progress?

What do you want to monitor to assess if you are on track?

How will you monitor this?

How often?

Step 4:

What methods will you use for formal evaluation?

What methods will you use for your evaluation?

Qualitative, quantitative, arts-based, or some mixture of these?

Step 5:

How will you gather the information you need?

What data gathering techniques will you use? What instruments, guidebooks?

This would include not just quantitative data, but all materials that would inform your project.

Step 6:

How will you analyze the information?

How will you analyze the data you gathered?

What frameworks?

What underlying theory will you use to make sense of all this?

Step 7:

How will you share your results?

How will you share what you learned to your community, artists, target population, and funders?