We support quality improvement, transparency and accountability through evidence-based decision making and learning
We do so by helping organisations track progress, assess impact and understand their role in the system they operate. We specialise in portfolio and organisational level insights and use systemic, trauma-informed, culturally sensitive and equitable approaches to develop useful quality insights.
Tools, methods and approaches:
- Data collection, analysis & reporting for programme, portfolio and organisational level frameworks.
- Benchmark and comparative analysis.
- Qualitative methods: case studies, focus groups, interviews, observation, arts-based methods, content analysis, thematic coding and participatory approaches.
- Qualitative methods: surveys, descriptive & simple inferential statistics.
- Formative, mid-term, summative and impact evaluation – using OECD-DAC criteria, rubrics as well as gender & systems lenses.
- Theory-based evaluation: contribution tracing, contribution analysis, process tracing, realist evaluation and more.
- Principle-focused and developmental evaluation, outcomes harvesting and rapid evaluation.
- Evidence-based reviews, reflection & learning sessions for staff, partners and grantees.
EXAMPLES
PANORAMA is a global partnership of major organisations funding solutions in conservation and sustainable development. It includes The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GmbH), IUCN, UNEP, the World Bank and many others. We designed their first monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning (MEAL) strategy and system and provided training to help implement it.
Liminal Space and ALT/Now hired us as evaluation and learning partner for Job Design Lab – a programme that readies teams for the future of work, back by Impact on Urban Health and the National Lottery Heritage Fund. We used a developmental approach and developed a systems change journey with markers to inform their long-term planning.
Paul Hamlyn Foundation hired us to do an evaluation of the first five years of the Backbone Fund – an innovative mechanism that provides unrestricted funding to infrastructure and sector-critical organisations in the UK. The evaluation had a focus on social justice and diversity, equity and inclusiveness (DEI) issues. We used a systems approach, outcomes harvesting for case studies and produced audio-visual content for some stories of change.
Sanger’s Excellence fellowship is a positive action in the field of genomics, aimed at researchers from Black heritage backgrounds. We conducted a review focused on assessing diversity, equity & inclusiveness (EDI) practice and the effectiveness of new selection mechanisms. We also mapped the journey towards systemic change to support and further their partnership model.
Mongabay is an international non-for-profit organisation focused on planetary issues. We developed a monitoring, evaluation, research and learning (MERL) system, including their first theory of change and its accompanying results framework – so that staff are more impact-oriented, learn based on evidence and are better able to fundraise, track and communicate impact.
This is an academic network of feminist and gender-informed members that seeks to transform legal education and knowledge systems in Latin America for improved legal outcomes for women and minoritised sexualities. Nexus developed their new theory of change and action as well as as its accompanying learning, monitoring and evaluation system.
Testimonials
“I’ve had the immense privilege of working with Jessica [Director & Founder, Nexus Evaluation] in applying evaluative learning and practice to decision-making at the Wellcome Trust. Immediately upon joining Wellcome several years ago, Jess took on the challenge of implementing the Wellcome Success Framework, a new organisation-wide framework developed to evaluate the results of Wellcome’s diverse contributions to research, health and society.
Jess brought valuable technical expertise in MERL that helped Wellcome to become more rigorous and thoughtful in assessing progress against its strategic objectives. In addition, Jess designed the MERL approach for evaluating Wellcome’s investments in its priority areas (i.e. Wellcome-directed, challenge-led programmes).
Through her work, Jess successfully demonstrated the value of applying evaluative thinking to decision-making, and consequently she was invited by Wellcome’s Executive Leadership Team to lead the development of the MERL approaches embedded in Wellcome’s new strategy. This is a remarkable achievement for an organisation that was nascent in its MERL culture and capability only five years ago, and well-deserved recognition goes to Jess for providing the technical leadership needed to deliver this culture change.”
– Chonnettia Jones, Vice-President of Research at Michael Smith Health Research BC
“It has been a pleasure to work with Jessica [Director & Founder] and the team from Nexus Evaluation on our Backbone Fund evaluation. Jessica has been diligent and thoughtful to work with, providing a balance of support and challenge that we have found extremely helpful. She, and the team, have been flexible and responsible as our needs have evolved. Jessica’s awareness of the funding landscape and her specialist evaluation skillset are a power combination – and she has brought both to bear in a very constructive way in this project. I would happily work with Jessica and the team again in the future and wish them every success”
– Kirsty Gillian-Thomas, Head of Evidence and Learning at Paul Hamlyn Foundation.
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