Issue #15

Weekly evaluation inspiration for...

Non-profits who DARE

Hi! I'm Allison and I help non-profits use learning and evaluation to transform the communities they work in. An integral part of that is amplifying the voices of those who have been silenced for way too long.

I was in Fredericton, New Brunswick early last week at the Canadian Evaluation Society conference. I got to give a presentation about a few things I've learned from coursework in Organizational Change Leadership.

One of the topics that has really changed the way I work with organizational leaders, staff, and the people they support, is the idea of resistance.

You see, in organizational change, for a long time the conversation was about 'managing resistance'. And in a lot of circles it still is. But there are others who are looking at resistance in a different way.

I was first introduced to this 'different way' through Piderit's work, where she advocates for a multidimensional view of resistance that considers people's intentions and attitudes. Loup and Koller reinforced this by suggesting that we see resistance as a sign of commitment.

When people are willing to resist, it means that they care. They are generously giving you time and feedback. Which makes it all the more important that you bring ideas and plans to your communities as early as possible, so that they can express their resistance and you can use what they share to make improvements.

Yesterday was the soft launch of my "Great Grants Toolkit". I'm trying to share what I've learned over years working in non-profits and funders, so that we can spend less time writing grant applications and more time changing systems. Click below to be one of the first to get your toolkit!