52 weeks of BetterEvaluation: Week 7: Evaluation associations and societies

By
Patricia Rogers

Across the world evaluation associations provide a supportive community of practice for evaluators, evaluation managers and those who do evaluation as part of their service delivery or management job.

This week on BetterEvaluation we are highlighting evaluation associations which provide information and support through meetings, workshops and conferences. Some operate nationally, and some regionally and all share a commitment to developing evaluation capacities among individuals and organisations to more effectively conduct, manage and use evaluation.

We've highlighted a few organisations below. 

To find your local organisation, or one you can participate in from a distance (for example, the AEA has many international members and provides many virtual services) Visit the IOCE website (the International Organisation for Co-Operation in Evaluation) which has an extensive list of associations and societies organised by region.

SAMEA

SAMEA strives to cultivate a vibrant community that will support, guide and strengthen the development of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) as an important discipline, profession and instrument for empowerment and accountability in South Africa.

Through this it intends to promote the recognition of M&E as a profession and discipline essential to development, and practiced and used in a manner that adds significant value to effective, sustainable development in South Africa.

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Upcoming Events

4th SAMEA Biennial Conference 2013 - This conference is scheduled for September 2013 in Gauteng. Dates, venue and other details will be released later in the year.

 

AFREA

African Evaluation Association (AfrEA) is a non-profit umbrella organisation of national monitoring and evaluation associations and networks operating in Africa, as well as a leading source of quality evaluation methodologies essential for individual evaluators in countries where bodies do not exist.  Founded in 1999 with the main aim of building evaluation capacity in Africa,  AfrEA focuses on sharing knowledge and sustaining evaluation communities as cornerstones for the continent’s development. AfrEA strongly believes that developing a substantial African evaluation community comprised of national networks working closely with interested regional and international partners is the key to eradicate Africa’s widespread poverty, social and political exclusion, as well as the marginalization of African people. 

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IDEAS

The International Development Evaluation Association (IDEAS) was inaugurated in September 2002 to help fill a gap in the international evaluation architecture. 

IDEAS' mission is 'to advance and extend the practice of development evaluation by refining methods, strengthening capacity and expanding ownership', with a particular focus on developing and transitional economies.

Upcoming Events

IDEAS Global Assembly - 6th to 9th May 2013, Bridgetown, Barbados

 

AEA

The American Evaluation Association is an international professional association of evaluators devoted to the application and exploration of program evaluation, personnel evaluation, technology, and many other forms of evaluation. Evaluation involves assessing the strengths and weaknesses of programs, policies, personnel, products, and organizations to improve their effectiveness. AEA has approximately 7700 members representing all 50 states in the United States as well as over 60 foreign countries.

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Upcoming E​vents

The State of Evaluation Practice in the early 21st Century - Conference: 16th - 19th October 2013. Professional Development Workshops: 14th - 16th, & 20th October 2013. Join 2800 attendees for 650 sessions spanning the breadth and depth of the field. The AEA is inviting evaluators to share the knowledge and expertise by submitting a proposal to present at this event. Deadline: 15th March 2013.

 

COE

The Community of Evaluators (CoE) is a platform that facilitates knowledge exchange between parties interested in evaluation in the South Asian region. By interacting with each other in- person and through electronic media, the CoE intends to expand the knowledge and experience base of individuals as well as of the region as a whole, and to provide opportunities to share these experiences with the International Evaluation community.

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Upcoming Events

Evaluation Conclave 2013 – Evaluation for Development 26th February to 1st March 2013, Kathmandu, Nepal