Navigating the Multiple Roles of Internal Evaluators Hannah Hirschland Managing Director, Analytics & Evaluation 212-367-1285 hannahh@gmhc.org AEA - 11/9/17 Ailish Bateman Senior Director, Data & Evaluation 212-367-1144 ailishb@gmhc.org

Agenda Introductions Evaluation at GMHC The Advantages The Challenges Strategies & Recommendations Discussion

Objectives Enhance understanding of the role of internal evaluators Learn about strategies to overcome challenges internal evaluators face Exchange ideas and experiences with other participants

How Evaluation Works at GMHC Overview of GMHC Structured Management Model Role of Evaluators in the Management Model Other Evaluator Roles Mid-size social service agency. Serves over 12,000 individuals living with or affected by HIV/AIDS. Founded in 1982. over 200 staff. Programs in mental health, substance use, care coordination, legal services, housing, vocational services, meals and nutrition, HIV/STI testing, HIV prevention, client advocacy Use structured management model for all programs – both client-facing and administrative. Briefly describe three parts of model – DDAs, skills building, CQI. Each department has dashboards they they are responsible for updating Each department is assigned an internal evaluator. Evaluators are neutral third party. Help programs understand their data. Suggest ways to make program information more meaningful. Spot and translate trends. Monitor progress toward targets. Talk about measurable outcomes. Lead on evaluation portion of contracts. Extract and analyze data for program monitoring. Provide TA on EHR and other systems so programs can take ownership of their data. Sounding board for CQI projects. Lead root cause analysis, brainstorming, survey administration, key informant interviews. Create monitoring and tracking tools. Connect programs with similar issues together to create synergies

The Advantages Building Relationships Developing Content Expertise Understanding Context Fostering Collaboration Within the Agency Facilitate Standardizing Processes through agency Accessibility Strategic Resource for Development/Fundraising

The Challenges Setting boundaries on responsibilities Managing up and across Cultivating buy-in Creating a learning environment Teaching technical skills Navigating team dynamics

Recommendations Get comfortable speaking up to keep evaluation meetings on track Approach programmatic issues with tact Allow program supervisors to decide the focus of evaluation and QI efforts Get support from senior managers

Discussion Prompts Please introduce yourself to the group and let us know what the evaluation structure at your agency looks like. What challenges have internal evaluators faced in your organization? What strategies have helped you to overcome these challenges? Specifically, what structural changes are helpful? What skills are helpful for individual evaluators?

Thank you! Hannah Hirschland Managing Director, Analytics & Evaluation 212-367-1285 hannahh@gmhc.org Ailish Bateman Senior Director, Data & Evaluation 212-367-1144 ailishb@gmhc.org