Evaluation societies and associations

Evaluation societies and associations play a significant role in strengthening national M&E systems. These organisations help foster the professional development of evaluators and evaluation managers, provide platforms for knowledge exchange, and advocate for good evaluation practices within countries. 

VOPEs often engage with the government, civil society, and donor organisations to endorse evaluation practices and promote evidence-based policy-making.

These societies and organisations promote the sharing of ideas, best practices, current research and projects. They can be involved with running events, conferences and, training workshops or courses to help members build their skills and knowledge of evaluation theory and practice.

Some associations focus only on evaluation, like the Brazilian Evaluation Network; others explicitly cover M&E, like the Zambian Monitoring and Evaluation Association.

Evaluation societies and associations are often nonprofit organisations open to those working in or interested in evaluation. Many societies and associations may charge a small annual membership fee to offset running and organisational costs. Discussing specifically Voluntary Organisations for Professional Evaluation (VOPES), the IOCE notes that:

"VOPEs are important, first and foremost, as professional networks or guilds where evaluators and commissioners of evaluation can meet and discuss issues of mutual interest including promoting the profession, strengthening member evaluation competencies, finding employment opportunities, partnering for professional collaborations, etc. As the evaluation profession as a recognised, distinct profession is less than 20 years old, VOPEs have important roles to play in helping governments and civil society in their countries to understand what evaluation is, and the role evaluation can play in supporting better informed public policy and decision making."

(IOCE, 2014)

As a starting point, some country-specific organisations have been listed below:

Please get in touch to suggest additional organisations to this list.

Africa

South Africa: South African Monitoring and Evaluation Association (SAMEA) 

Uganda: Uganda Evaluation Association (UEA)

Zambia: Zambia Monitoring and Evaluation Association (ZaMEA)

Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe Evaluation Society (ZES)

Asia-Pacific

Asia Pacific Region: Asia Pacific Evaluation Network

Australia: Australasian Evaluation Society (AES) Australian Evaluation Society (AES)

India:

• Development Evaluation Society of India (DESI)
• Evaluation Community of India (ECOI)

Indonesia: Indonesian Development Evaluation Community (InDEC)

Malaysia: Malaysian Evaluation Society

Mongolia: Mongolian Evaluation Society

New Zealand: Aotearoa New Zealand Evaluation Association (ANZEA)

South Asia:  Community of Evaluators (South Asia)

Caribbean

Caribbean: Caribbean Evaluators International (CEI)

Europe

Belgium: Vlaams Evaluatieplatform (Flemish Evaluation Platform) (VEP)

Czech Republic: Czech Evaluation Society (CzES)

Denmark: Dansk Evaluerings Selskab (DES)

France: EVAL (Centre de Ressources en Evaluation)

Germany: Gesellschaft für Evaluation e.V. (DeGEval)

Italy: Associazione Italiana di Valutazione (Italian Evaluation Association) (AIV)

Switzerland: Swiss Evaluation Society

North America

Canada: Canadian Evaluation Society (CES) / Societe Canadienne d'Evaluation (SCE)

Mexico: Academía Nacional de Evaluadores de México (ACEVAL)

USA: American Evaluation Association (AEA)

USA - Arizona: Arizona Evaluation Network (AZENet)

South America

Brazil: Rede Brasileira de Monitoramento e Avaliação (Brazilian M&E Network)

Chile: Red Chilena de Evaluación / Núcleo de Evaluación de Políticas Publicas (ReLAC-Chile / NEPP)