Evaluation literacy: Perspectives of internal evaluators in non-government organizations

This paper explores how internal evaluators in Australian non-government organisations (NGOs) develop and promote evaluation literacy to enhance evaluation use and organisational learning.

The authors investigate the concept of evaluation literacy and its role in internal evaluation within NGOs. They define evaluation literacy as:

the cognitive and social skills that determine the motivation and ability of individuals to gain access to, understand, and use evaluative information in ways that ultimately contribute to achieving organisational goals.

Through a literature review and three auto-narratives from internal evaluators, the paper highlights the growing importance of evaluation in NGOs due to increasing demands for accountability and demonstrable outcomes. The study emphasises that evaluation literacy is essential for embedding evaluation into organisational culture and improving program effectiveness, especially in resource-constrained, complex NGO environments.