Effective evaluations are:
strategic – connecting the evaluation to the organization’s ultimate goals
transparent – so that the evaluation purposes and processes are clear to all
collaborative – enhancing learning, understanding, communication and team work
necessary for accountability vis-à-vis management, stakeholders, and donors
a capacity-building process for the project or programme team – in analytical methods, monitoring, auto-evaluation, etc.
essential for adaptive management and providing a basis for improved decision making
the hallmark of a learning organization.
In fast-changing and challenging environments, organizations and programmes need the ability:
It is through a commitment to systematic evaluations, that an organization (or programme) gets “smarter”, i.e. becomes a learning-enabled organization that can truly practice adaptive management, resulting in improved impact of its projects and programmes. Building a learning culture is not just a nice idea, but is actually critical to an organization’s bottom line. In general, learning organizations:
get good press, because they are widely perceived to add value through their work
are able to retain top talent (motivated by innovation and experimentation), and
out-survive other organizations because of their nimbleness and ability to adapt.
The key to a successful evaluation is asking the right questions, and developing a methodology suitable for each unique set of circumstances. It is essential that the evaluation participants feel that their input is valued and correctly interpreted.
The likelihood that evaluations will, in fact, result in improved project or programme impact is enhanced when the project stakeholders participate in the evaluation design, and when participants are convinced of the transparency and objectiveness of the process. Except in the case of internal evaluations, at least one member of the evaluation team should be a skilled, independent evaluator.
EVALUATION SERVICES
Meg Gawler’s personal mission is to help build a world in which we humans live in harmony with ourselves, with others, and with nature. She brings to this a lifetime of endeavour, and over twenty years of academic and professional experience in ecology, conservation, and the links between conservation and human development. Her experience includes ten years in the Africa & Madagascar Programme of WWF International, and seven years as the Founding Director of ARTEMIS Services.
Meg has carried out 43 evaluation exercises worldwide, 33 of which as the team leader or sole evaluator (list attached) – in English and/or French, and with a wide variety of stakeholders and objectives, including:
project and programme evaluations
organizational assessments
meta-evaluations – analysing and drawing lessons learned from a portfolio of evaluations
defining organizational standards for evaluations
developing organizational strategies for monitoring and evaluation, and
providing training in participatory monitoring and evaluation.
Meg has benefited from training courses from world-renowned experts in:
practical programme evaluation (Michael Scriven)
implementation analysis and formative evaluation to improve programme performance (Arnold Love)
qualitative research methods (Joseph Maxwell)
cost-benefit, cost-effectiveness and cost-utility analyses (Jed Kee)
analysis of qualitative data (Patricia Rogers), and
participatory and collaborative monitoring and evaluation (Michael Q. Patton)
Most Significant Change methodology (Rick Davies and Irene Guijt)
systems concepts in evaluation (Bob Williams)
evaluation models and theories (Mel Mark).
Meg delivers training courses in participatory evaluation methodologies. In addition, Meg is skilled facilitator, with extensive experience in strategic planning and workshop moderation, and is also a trainer in project design and project cycle management. This experience proves to be invaluable during evaluation missions.
She is a member of the American Evaluation Association, the European Evaluation Society, and the International Development Evaluation Association.
Meg has worked on short- and long-term assignments in 60 countries worldwide, including many developing countries, and has good multi-cultural, interpersonal abilities – whether with peers, Ministers, or villagers – skills essential to effective evaluations, where all participants can contribute meaningfully to the analytical and evaluation processes.
A key ingredient for success is carefully planning the evaluation in partnership with the intended users of the evaluation, to ensure that the evaluation objectives are clear, realistic, and respond to the priorities of the users, and that the methodology for achieving them is suitable. In all evaluations, Meg’s emphasis is on a transparent and constructive approach with the intention of improving programme performance and impact. In carrying out evaluations, her focus is on a humanistic and analytical process that both enhances institutional learning, and builds capacity for the programme team who are at the heart of the evaluation.
COMMENTS FROM CLIENTS
I would like to thank you very much for your hard work on the evaluation of the WWF Cameroon Country Programme. I am sure that the outcome will be of immense value to us in strengthening the programme and in identifying where we go from here..
- J. Stephen Gartlan, 1997, WWF Representative, Cameroon
The product was well researched and well written – provocative enough to make the projects think about the issue of gender and women’s participation.
- Thomas O. McShane, 1999, Coordinator, DGIS-WWF Tropical Forest Portfolio
The final programme evaluation report exceeded my expectations. It was very thorough, complete in terms of balanced recommendations, and it considered and assessed the programme’s work in the Malagasy context. Meg’s strengths include rigour, meeting deadlines, being analytical, and critical yet fair.
- Jean-Paul Paddack, 1999, WWF Representative, Madagascar
The analysis very much met our expectations, and has been very well received within the Secretariat, the Commissions, and Council. The interviews were also much appreciated by those who participated.
- Patrick Dugan, 1999, Global Programme Director, IUCN – The World Conservation Union
I learned that the specific strength of Artemis Services is its long-standing experience with conservation programmes all over the globe, and track record of evaluation projects conducted with various organizations and stakeholders. This broad perspective not only helps separate the wheat from the chaff and keeps the focus on important issues during an evaluation – it also is key to designing the evaluation to fit the needs of a particular audience or target-group.
- Stephan Lutter, 2001, Director, WWF North-East Atlantic Programme
Please accept our thanks and congratulations for your brilliant performance in the field and during the debriefing session. We would like to congratulate you for the quality of the work, and your professionalism and rigour.
- Aliou Faye, 2002, Country Representative, IUCN-Mali
The report was well received by senior management. If all of our evaluation reports were that good, we’d be in very good shape. It was clearly presented, and hit the right issues at the right level, which is very hard to do. It also hit a nice balance between criticism and positive feedback, which enhances the likelihood that it will be used. That evaluation [of IUCN’s Global Biodiversity Programme]– I will use as my model for evaluation.
- Nancy MacPherson, 2002, Head, Monitoring and Evaluation Unit, IUCN
The services exceeded expectations. The report provides more useful information, ideas and food for thought than I expected. The strengths of ARTEMIS Services include extensive, in-depth experience, and a very good understanding of how NGOs work. You really did a fantastic job.
- Joy Hyvarinen, 2002, International Treaties Advisor, The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
ARTEMIS Services is skilled in programme planning and assessment. I have also appreciated Meg Gawler for her flexibility, responsiveness and ability to adapt. What I have most valued is her integrity and her ability to stand by her conviction. The report was on time, and the various drafts were turned around quickly. Meg is a dependable consultant, and delivers good quality.
- Mohammad Rafiq, 2003, Senior Advisor, IUCN
[You are] very experienced and knowledgeable about evaluation methodologies and processes… with good communication skills, flexibility, and abilities to adjust to local needs and requirements… Thank you once again for the splendid work you have done in Moldova. I am sure that from now on we will be using these tools in many of our daily activities.
- Larisa Lazarescu-Spetetchi, 2003, Project Officer, UNICEF-Moldova
ARTEMIS Services carried out a thorough and highly professional evaluation of TRAFFIC’s programme that will play a critical role in our future development. Over a very short space of time Meg really got inside the opinions and insights of our staff, partners and collaborators and developed a strong understanding of the key organisational issues we need to address.
- Steven Broad, 2003, Executive Director, TRAFFIC International
The strengths of ARTEMIS Services include its capabilities in evaluation methodology, organization, communication, analysis and especially understanding. In addition to this, one must add: field experience, clear-sightedness, a spirit of independence, and a keen sense of responsibility and conscientiousness. ARTEMIS Services is like a priest who knows the language of development, its stakes and its constraints, and who learns lessons from practical experience and shows the way forward. The report has been classified as a document of international quality.
- Yacouba Dème, 2004, Representative, Near-East Foundation, Mali
Artemis rises wonderfully to the challenge of honesty and integrity that is required of all evaluators – ensuring that the evaluation identifies the underlying problems and offers useful and practical recommendations!
- Mine Pabari, 2004, Regional Programme Manager, IUCN East Africa Regional Office, Kenya (2003-2004)
My heartfelt congratulations on your extremely successful completion of this initiative. I was honored to have played a part in its initial elaboration and piloting, but I don't think, in those early days, that I ever realized how impressive and compelling the end result might be. Your hard work, skills and dedication have produced a historical benchmark in the formative evaluation of participation of young people.
- Mahesh Patel, 2005, Regional Adviser, Social Policy and Economic Analysis, UNICEF
The evaluation of WWF’s Mediterranean Freshwater Programme was without any doubt a complex task, which in addition had to be accomplished within a short time horizon. The report of ARTEMIS Services not only gave proof of long experience with evaluations, but was amazingly useful in its analysis of both the evaluated party as well as the role of the funder. With Meg Gawler’s distinguished career in conservation it did not come as a surprise that this evaluation was thoroughly analytical, critical in its assessment of conceptual and other shortcomings, and at the same time constructive in its recommendations. This is how evaluations should look like.
- Claude Martin, 2006, Director General, WWF International (1993-2005) and Board member of the MAVA Foundation
Getting the evaluation of the WWF Cork Oak Landscapes Programme conducted by Meg Gawler has been so rewarding – and a real learning process for us… It has put us closer to our partners’ needs and perceptions, confronting our thinking and perception about the programme with theirs. Meg Gawler has put in the heart of this evaluation her high professionalism in dealing with different ranges of stakeholders; this was key to force transparency and openness. I am looking forward to repeating this experience with Artemis Services for future programme evaluations. I am very grateful for such high performance! [Meg’s skills include] very high professionalism, brilliant skills in setting up methodology and participatory processes for evaluation, conducting interviews, great skills in analysis and reporting, extended experience in evaluation of conservation projects and programmes all over the world.
- Norah Berrahmouni, 2007, WWF Cork Oak Landscapes Programme Coordinator, WWF Mediterranean Programme Office, Italy
| Meg Gawler – EVALUATION EXPERIENCE, 1993 - 2007 |
| When | What | Where | Language | Role |
| 1993 | Evaluation of the Banc d’Arguin N.P. and of the International Foundation for the Banc d’Arguin | Mauritania | French | Co-evaluator |
| 1993 | Evaluation of Vintsy, the WWF Madagascar programme environmental education magazine | Madagascar | French | Team Leader |
| 1993 | Programme and Project Evaluation – a short paper setting standards for evaluations in WWF, endorsed by the WWF Programme Committee | Switzerland | English | Co-author |
| 1994 | Joint (Government and WWF) evaluation of the Bazaruto Archipelago Conservation Project, 1990-1994 | Mozambique | English | Team Leader |
| 1995 | 2nd joint (Government and WWF) technical review of the Bazaruto Archipelago Multiple Resource Use Project | Mozambique | English | Team Leader |
| 1995 | Strategy for Design, Monitoring, and Evaluation of All WWF Programmes and Projects, WWF International | Switzerland | English | Co-author |
| 1995 | Strategies for Accomplishing WWF’s Medium-Term Goals: Goal 9 - Monitoring and Evaluation. WWF International | Switzerland | English | Co-author |
| 1996 | Meta-evaluation: Programme and Project Evaluations – Annual Report to the WWF Africa & Madagascar Subcommittee | Switzerland | English | Sole Evaluator |
| 1996 | Evaluation of the Conservation and Development of Taï National Park | Côte d'Ivoire | French + English | Team Leader |
| 1996 | 3rd joint (Government and WWF) technical review of the Bazaruto Archipelago Multiple Resource Use Project | Mozambique | English | Team Leader |
| 1997 | Mid-term Review of the Bilateral Co-operation Programme between WWF-Netherlands and WWF in Cameroon | Cameroon | French + English | Co-evaluator |
| 1997 | Meta-evaluation: Programme and Project Evaluations – Annual Report to the WWF Africa & Madagascar Subcommittee | Switzerland | English | Sole Evaluator |
| 1997 | 4th joint (Government and WWF) technical review of the Bazaruto Archipelago Multiple Resource Use Project | Mozambique | English | Team Leader |
| 1998 | Meta-evaluation: Programme and Project Evaluations – Annual Report to the WWF Africa & Madagascar Subcommittee | Switzerland | English | Sole Evaluator |
| 1999 | Meta-evaluation: Programme and Project Evaluations – Annual Report to the WWF Africa & Madagascar Subcommittee | Switzerland | English | Sole Evaluator |
| 1999 | Assessment of the emphasis on women in the DGIS-WWF Tropical Forest Portfolio | Switzerland | English | Sole Evaluator |
| 1999 | Programme Evaluation, WWF Madagascar Programme 1996-1999 | Madagascar | French + English | Team Leader |
| 1999 | Analysis of IUCN Strategic Results Areas: Current and Future, IUCN Global Programme | Switzerland | English | Sole Author |
| 1999 | Review of Learning from the IUCN/SDC Innovation Fund. IUCN Global Programme | Switzerland | English | Sole Evaluator |
| 2000 | Lessons Learned from the DGIS-WWF Tropical Forest Portfolio: a CoralWeb Discussion Paper | Switzerland | English | Co-author |
| 2001 | North-East Atlantic Programme: Strategic Review. WWF International | Germany | English | Sole Evaluator |
| 2002 | Project to Support Wetlands Management in the Inner Niger Delta: Final Evaluation | Mali | French | Team Leader |
| 2002 | Review of Phase III of IUCN’s Global Biodiversity Programme | Switzerland; Netherlands | English | Co-evaluator |
| 2002 | WWF Project on Sustainability Assessment of Trade: Mid-term Evaluation | Switzerland, Belgium | English | Team Leader |
| 2002 | Participation by BirdLife Partners in the Convention on Biological Diversity: Evaluation Guidelines | UK | English + French | Sole Evaluator |
| 2003 | Draft review and synthesis of UNICEF evaluations from 2000 to 2002 in Eastern Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Baltics | Switzerland | English | Sole Author |
| 2003 | IUCN North Africa Biodiversity Programme, Phase III: Internal Review | Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia | English + French | Team Leader |
| 2003 | Training in participatory monitoring and evaluation for UNICEF | Moldova | English + French | Trainer, advisor |
| 2003 | External Review of TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network | UK, Switzerland | English | Sole Evaluator |
| 2003 | Training in participatory monitoring and evaluation for UNICEF | Azerbaijan | English | Trainer, advisor |
| 2003, 2004 | Content analysis – report on IUCN programme and project evaluations worldwide over the last five years | Switzerland | English | Lead Author |
| 2004 | Final evaluation of the Programme to support the conservation and management of natural resources in Mali’s 5th region | Mali | French | Team Leader |
| 2004 | Strategic review of the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation (thematic elements) | Switzerland, Spain | English + French | Co-author |
| 2004 | Training in participatory monitoring and evaluation for UNICEF | Belarus | English | Trainer, advisor |
| 2004 | Training in participatory monitoring and evaluation for UNICEF | Georgia | English | Trainer, advisor |
| 2004 | Training in participatory monitoring and evaluation for UNICEF | TFYRo Macedonia | English | Trainer, advisor |
| 2004 | Training in participatory monitoring and evaluation for UNICEF | Albania | English | Trainer, advisor |
| 2004 | Mid-term evaluation of the GEF/UNDP project to develop the Mnazi Bay - Ruvuma Estuary Marine Park | Tanzania | English | Team Leader |
| 2004-2005 | UNICEF CEE/CIS Regional Office Survey of Youth Participation | Switzerland | English | Sole author |
| 2004-2005 | Formative evaluation of young people’s participation in Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States – UNICEF | Switzerland, Albania, Belarus, Georgia, TFYRo Macedonia, Moldova | English | Team Leader |
| 2005-2006 | MAVA Foundation Audit of the WWF Mediterranean Freshwater Programme | Italy | English + French | Team Leader |
| 2006 | Assessment of WWF Programme in Democratic Republic of Congo | Democratic Republic of Congo | English + French | Sole author |
| 2006-2007 | Evaluation of Cork Oak Landscapes Programme for WWF Mediterranean Programme | Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia | English + French | Team Leader |
