Process
Evaluation
If you make 100 mentoring matches, 20 will probably yield great outcomes without much support. Effective mentoring is all about helping the other 80 matches thrive. Process evaluation is a key strategy for doing that. I can use process evaluation to answer critical questions:
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What do we need to track to know how well our services are delivered?
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How do participants experience our services, and how does that compare with what was intended?
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How good are the relationships we support? How can we make them better?
The Value of an External Interviewer
Whether in-person or remote, interviewing is usually the backbone of the process evaluations I conduct. It may be counterintuitive, but I can gain insight on a program that would be nearly impossible for someone associated with the program to uncover. It helps (a lot) that I am highly skilled and motivated by an honest desire to hear what people can tell me about their experience. People love to talk about their perspectives when someone shows a genuine interest and asks insightful questions.
However, I operate with a big advantage: I’m an outsider. It is very difficult for any one person associated with a program to build a complete and accurate perspective on its operation. Existing relationships lead many staff to hedge or hide negative feedback. They lead youth and their parents to gravitate towards grateful, encouraging answers. But people tell me their unvarnished truth, because they can do so anonymously, they don’t have to care about my feelings, and because I make it easy for them to do it.
Assessing
Mentoring
Relationships
Good mentoring outcomes start with good relationships. A satisfying relationship keeps participants engaged long enough to benefit. The activities they do shape that satisfaction and the outcomes they experience. The surveys I developed to measure these things in 1:1 relationships are recommended by the National Mentoring Resource Center (NMRC) and used all over the world. I have also developed a comprehensive survey for use in group mentoring programs. If you need a different tool, I can identify or create one that suits your program's needs.
Getting Started
Email or call me for a free consultation and proposal. When I have learned enough about your program and your evaluation needs, I will present options at different budget levels. I will explain the pro’s and con’s of each and tell you what I think will serve you best. Wherever possible, I will help you get up to 50 hours of my time for free.