Making evaluation part of your culture doesn’t have to be complicated. Here’s one small step you can take:
At your next team meeting, ask one question:
“What did we learn this week?”
Write the answers down. Then at the end of the month, share them back with the team.
Why this works:

• Keeps learning front of mind.
• Builds a culture of reflection.
• Turns evaluation from a one-off report into a weekly habit.

Small, regular check-ins like this are what create an evaluation mindset across your whole organisation.
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A small charity I worked with used to dread evaluation.
Every time feedback came in, the team braced themselves. They felt defensive, as if they were being judged.
Then they made a shift. Instead of asking “Did we pass or fail?”, they started asking:

• What worked well?
• What didn’t?
• What can we try differently next time?

The result?

• More openness.
• Less stress.
• Real improvements to services.

Takeaway: An evaluation mindset is the difference between fear and growth.

For many CICs and charities, evaluation feels like a verdict:

• Did we succeed?
• Or did we fail?

But the real value comes when we treat evaluation as learning:

• What worked?
• What didn’t?
• What can we try differently next time?

Question for you: In your organisation, is evaluation mainly about accountability — or about learning and growth?
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