An Open Letter to Funders
Wherever funders are investing to help people improve their lives and the world around them, whether that is somewhere in the United States or in another country, there is a growing recognition that the people who are closest to the changes that funders would like to influence—the people who live in that place—are best positioned to understand the problems at hand and how to most appropriately and effectively respond to them. This embracing of local ownership extends to the evaluation of these investments: local evaluators are best placed to understand what happened, what changed and why, and what else needs to happen to continue to help improve lives.
An Open Letter to Funders highlights the benefits of partnering with local evaluation teams who are more likely to establish open communication with those directly involved in an initiative, and better understand the nuances, complexities and motivations behind consequential decision-making. Because local evaluators bring cultural and contextual awareness to a problem, they are able to demonstrate a level of situational sensitivity that allows them to come across as non-intimidating, trustworthy, and empathetic.
