Where to start?
If a group of musicians or other types of artists want to begin this evaluation work, what are some of the key elements needed?
Mindset
An openness to self-reflection
Willingness to be risk
Ability and commitment to putting in the needed time to do the work
Tip: Be sure to “evaluate what you do and do what you evaluate!” – too often there is a temptation to follow an exciting idea about an evaluation topic without actually reflecting on whether the group actually directly or indirectly does work on that topic. For example, a group might provide services to individuals experiencing homelessness but not provide housing. That’s fine but then be very careful to think through any plans to evaluate whether individuals in the program got housing. Otherwise you’ll be trying to evaluate something you have little to no control over. Conversely, sometimes it is easy to overlook the concrete services you do provide and, therefore, you fail to evaluate that work. It may seem obvious but it pays to reflect on this early in the process!
Resources
People
Internal:
Point person for the group and the evaluation effort Team of at least two or more artists to support the work
Team of at least two or more artists to support the work
External (not always necessary but useful addition if possible)
Individual consultant
Evaluation firm
University-based evaluators
Tip: Talk to others in your network to see if they have recommendations for finding an evaluator. Besides the obvious advice of finding someone that is within your budget, be sure you also find someone that fits with your style and vision – if they can’t hear what you’re saying at the outset, they won’t hear what you’re saying throughout the process.
Time
Money
Foundations – talk to fellow artists or current funders of programming
Federal/State government – there aren’t many but the National Endowment for the Arts might be a possible resource
A plan
No, you don’t need to have everything decided and laid out! But it is never too early to begin planning and setting goals. Don’t wait for everything to be 100% set before you begin to sketch the plans out. It is an iterative process throughout so go ahead and take the first steps. Remember: Evaluate what you do and do what you evaluate!