One of the most interesting projects I've consulted with in the past few years was with the Ontario Literacy Coalition (OLC).  The goal?  To imagine, convene and implement a cross-sectoral, cross-ministerial strategy in support of intergenerational family literacy programs in Ontario.  (Wow, say that 10 times fast!)  Like many umbrella groups, the Ontario Literacy Coalition is a membership-based organization that works to not only increase the capacity of its member organizations, but also to act as a convening entity in the space between the public, private and charity/non-profit sectors.  This is where I was invited in.

My experience over the last years working with the Most Significant Change Evaluation and Monitoring Framework (MSC) has been insightful, interesting and rewarding.  Having just wrapped up a two-year stint working with Intercordia Canada to imagine, test and implement MSC in the context of their international programs, I'm now settling in for a little reflection on the process.  What I see as a primary challenge of implementing MSC is the tension between story collection for evaluation purposes and story collection for marketing purposes. 

Questions

Over the last couple of years, I've been working with one of the most compelling organizations in Canada, Intercordia.  The organization is a thoughtful off-shoot of the international L'Arche movement, steeped in the philosophy and learnings of L'Arche founder, Jean Vanier.  Intercordia is a radical model of service learning/study abroad programming for Canadian university students.  Among many areas of engagement, the folks at Intercordia came to me to help them answer the question, "How do we evaluate transformation of the heart?" 

I must admit that I am not an evaluation guru, though I've been forced over the years to be thoroughly engaged in the practice of program outcome evaluation (thank you, United Way).  Sure, I took methods courses in graduate school and know my way around a randomized trial.  What I am known for is exploring and applying creative solutions in spaces with limited resources.  You might say I can turn an egg and a beer into a champagne brunch.