A Catalyst-for-Change Approach to Evaluation Capacity Building

Evaluation capacity building (ECB) has become a popular approach for helping community-based organizations (CBOs) to meet their funders’ demands for accountability. This case study reports the ECB process with one staff member using a catalyst-for-change approach. The authors analyzed the role of the catalyst in diffusing evaluation knowledge and skills and in promoting evaluation mainstreaming and use within the CBO; and the outcomes achieved as a result of the catalyst’s role in the process of building evaluation capacity. Implications based on the study findings are discussed.