Being a Volunteer Evaluator
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Have you ever been curious about what it is like to volunteer as an evaluator? Or are you considering a volunteer opportunity in the near future? This article aims to give you some insight into finding and engaging in a volunteer opportunity. Many organizations recognize the need for evaluation of their programs or services, but not all of them have the capacity to hire an evaluator for their team or to bring in an evaluation consultant. For these organizations, volunteers or pro bono evaluators may be the solution.
On the other side of the coin, an evaluator (or any professional!) may be eager to offer their skills pro bono to support an organization. The reason for seeking out a volunteer opportunity is likely to vary – an evaluator may want to help an organization that is important to them, experience a new industry, new country or culture, or to simply offer up some of their spare time to volunteering. Ideally, the organizations in need of evaluation expertise will be connected with the volunteer evaluator resulting in a mutually beneficial experience.
I am writing this article as a volunteer evaluator currently offering pro bono services to an NGO abroad in need of monitoring and evaluation support. My aim is to share some information on volunteering in general, pro bono evaluation, my volunteer experience, some key differences, and tips for success should you decide to pursue your own volunteer opportunity. If you want to learn more about my volunteer experience you can read my article about evaluating in the developing world.
Volunteerism
Skilled professionals, such as evaluators, have a lot to offer through pro bono services. Studies have found that taking time from work to volunteer is linked to overall well-being of the volunteer (Thoits & Hewitt 2001) and enhanced skills such as cross-cultural competency (Caligiuri et al. 2019).
Through discussions with skilled volunteers over the past few months, I found that a common theme or rationale for volunteering was to apply skills or expertise in a new setting or context. Anecdotally, the experience of volunteering allowed for engagement with new populations and places; which was viewed as professional development in a less traditional sense.
My experience was supposed to be a three-month engagement volunteering with an NGO in a developing country, which I am now completing remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I too was eager to experience a completely new context and challenge myself to apply my evaluation skills in a completely different space.
Volunteer Opportunities
Some volunteer opportunities require a short-term commitment (under a month), while others require a longer-term engagement and/or full-time hours (over a month to a year or more). I was compelled to take on a longer-term commitment after reading about sustainable and ethical volunteerism. Moreover, in some cases short term volunteer tourism in developing nations can do more harm than good (Guiney & Mostafanezhad 2014, Guttentag 2009, Raymond & Hall 2008), so make sure you fully research the role and organization before you commit to any volunteer position.
Once I nailed down an ethical volunteer organization, I began to explore how I could tackle this opportunity financially and without turning my regular life into total chaos (not easy, but worth it!). For many people (myself included) the largest barriers to volunteering are the logistics of moving abroad and the financial cost associated with it – however there are ways to mitigate these obstacles.
Create a budget: stick to your budget and check-in as frequently as possible.
Cost of living: volunteering in a developing country, although more challenging, is much more affordable. For example, in Cambodia (where I am), rent for a high quality studio apartment goes for around $250 USD, and can be as low as $100 USD per month if you’re willing to sacrifice some creature comforts. You can also find delicious meals for as low as $2 USD.
Look at ways to press “pause” back home: utilize sabbatical opportunities, rent out your home, bank vacation days, or continue to work remotely.
Consider volunteering remotely: working virtually is becoming more common, as is volunteering. This is a great solution for evaluators who want to volunteer but are not in the position to leave home.
I recognize that leaving home for an extended amount of time is not feasible for many, but I do believe that long-term engagements are important; it takes a couple of weeks just to understand an organization, whether it is local or international. A good place to start if you want to contribute your skills locally is through resources such as Volunteer Canada (if you’re Canadian) or similar organizations set up in your country. These organizations house lists of credible volunteer organizations nation-wide. If you’re like me and interested in getting some international volunteer experience, consider organizations like Professionals Doing Good that focus on connecting experienced professionals with projects that match their particular skillset. This organization offers both in-person as well as remote opportunities for professionals unable to relocate.
The one point I feel is worth emphasizing is that skilled volunteerism is needed. Even if you can only offer a couple hours a week, many organizations can still put your skillset to work.
Evaluating as a Volunteer
Continuing with the discussion of time commitments for volunteerism, this is even more important for evaluators. If an organization requires a full evaluation of a program and you can only offer a couple weeks of time, this may not be the best fit. However, using individual skills or methods for smaller tasks/deliverables can still be meaningful in short time frames.
Photo credit: #WOCinTech
For example, evaluators can offer to help develop a survey, hold focus groups, develop a logic model or perhaps an evaluation plan that can be put into play when needed or if more resources become available. You do not need to conduct an entire evaluation to make an impact – just offering one or two of your evaluator skills can be a game changer for organizations.
It may sound cliché, but being a volunteer evaluator is very rewarding. We, as evaluators, have a skillset that many organizations need (whether they know it or not). In my experience, within the first couple of weeks, evaluators can bring a different lens to a program that allows for quick wins and buy-in from leadership to prioritize or at least support future evaluation work.
Key Differences
If you can’t tell by now, I am in support (and encourage) evaluators to participate in skilled volunteer opportunities. Of course, the nature of being a volunteer rather than an employee or consultant results in a very different experience. I thought I should share three main differences I experienced as I put on my volunteer hat and set aside my consultant hat.
Different expectations: Many NGOs are often expected to undertake monitoring and evaluation by their funders (or board) but do not always have a grasp of what it actually entails. As a result, expectations might not be well-defined for volunteer evaluators. I see this as both negative and positive – negative in that the scope may not be clear, but positive in that we are given the chance to really show what evaluators can do.
Getting attention: Many volunteers, depending on the role, work quietly in the background. I think that for evaluation activities to be successful we need to engage with as many relevant stakeholders as possible. It might not be normal (or appropriate) for an NGO executive to receive an email from a volunteer asking for their time. Fortunately I am with an NGO that supported my need to run ideas by program leads, but I would not expect this for every organization.
Flexibility: When volunteering, it can feel a bit daunting to enter an agreement without previously responding to an in-depth RFP or signing a pre-determined work plan. Don’t get me wrong, I love a regimented plan (I would argue that most evaluators do), but the flexibility was appreciated. It allowed for me to shift my approach with ease and provide more meaningful deliverables. My most recent example of this comes from attempting to report some administrative data only to find that most of it was missing. I decided to evaluate the process of collecting, storing and utilizing data – resulting in recommendations for process improvement.
Strategies for Success
Now that I have hopefully shed a positive light on evaluator volunteerism, I want to share five tips to help you succeed in your future volunteer opportunity.
Be intentional: You are giving up your time (and likely money) to volunteer. Approach the project or tasks with intent to ensure change is made or meaningful deliverables are left.
Have patience: They may have welcomed you with open arms and are excited to have an evaluator on board, but this does not mean they are equipped to handle an evaluation. Be patient as you ask for data or learn what previous evaluation efforts (if any) exist within the organization.
Make a plan: I mentioned earlier that it is nice to not have a set work plan or contract - this doesn’t mean you should avoid planning entirely! Once an organization learns what skills you bring to the table, scope creep can become a very real threat. I recommend developing a plan and sharing it with your main contact to ensure everyone is in agreement of what you can offer/ have time to do.
Build a network: One of the best parts of volunteering abroad is the expat community. Even an introvert like myself found that it was easy to meet other volunteers and expats. You will find that you have a lot in common and they will naturally become your support system while abroad. Start to connect with past or current volunteers via social media before you leave, they will be eager to share their insights and tips.
Own the experience: You are there because you want to be. It may not always be exciting work, but enjoy it! Meet new people, learn about the organization as much as possible, and be proud of the work you have done.
Being a volunteer evaluator has been very rewarding and I have learned more than I had expected to. Although the path to scouting an ethical volunteer opportunity, planning for my departure and living in a new country were not easy – I can say that it was 100% worth it. If you are considering a volunteer opportunity and want to learn more, please get in touch with me on LinkedIn.
Written by: Samantha Larose
Sources
Caligiuri, P., Mencin, A., Jayne, B., & Traylor, A. (2019). Developing cross-cultural competencies through international corporate volunteerism. Journal of World Business, 54(1), 14-23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb.2018.09.002
Guiney T, Mostafanezhad, M. (2014). The political economy of orphanage tourism in Cambodia. Tourist Stud. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468797614563387
Guttentag, D. A. (2009). The possible negative impacts of volunteer tourism. International journal of tourism research, 11(6), 537-551. https://doi.org/10.1002/jtr.727
Raymond, E. M., & Hall, C. M. (2008). The development of cross-cultural (mis) understanding through volunteer tourism. Journal of sustainable tourism, 16(5), 530-543. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669580802159610
Thoits, P. A., & Hewitt, L. N. (2001). Volunteer work and well-being. Journal of health and social behavior, 115-131. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3090173