Listening for Change: Evaluators of Color Speak Out About Experiences with Foundations & Evaluation Firms
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Listening is a skill that is central to the work of evaluators and funders alike. Who we listen to, the questions we ask, and the methods we choose ultimately shape the stories we tell and how we make sense of the world. Being able to reflect critically on whose voices we privilege and whose are missing is essential to improving equity in our field. The disparities brought into relief by the COVID-19 pandemic and the growing Black Lives Matter movement have affirmed for many of us that our sector has a responsibility to not only listen but also amplify BIPOC voices and leadership within our communities and places of work.
And, there is growing recognition among evaluators and funders that we have more work to do if we want to transform our predominantly white sector into one that is inclusive and supportive of our BIPOC colleagues. Within foundations and evaluation firms, it is not uncommon for conversations about improving DEI to focus on increasing diversity without a deeper questioning of the structures and tired narratives that support the status quo. The Luminare Group’s recent work challenges us to reframe and broaden our understanding of the problem definition from one that focuses on diversifying the “who” to transforming the “what” – how can we create an evaluation ecosystem that truly values diverse perspectives and experiences, and dismantles white dominant culture?
An invitation to listen: What do evaluators of color have to say about how our field is addressing DEI?
If we truly want to transform our field and advance equity, we need to do a better job listening to those who have been historically marginalized to understand what it will take to support and amplify new and existing voices. With support from The James Irvine Foundation, Engage R+D hosted a series of listening sessions with evaluators of color based in California who work with philanthropic clients to better understand their experiences working in the field and what professional development supports they would value. During these listening sessions, evaluators of color candidly discussed the challenges they face navigating a field that is predominantly white and that values expert knowledge over lived experience and other ways of knowing. In this brief, we invite you to listen to some of the key takeaways we heard from these conversations:
To create an inclusive workplace, leaders and staff of foundations and evaluation firms must reckon with longstanding white-dominant expectations that can push evaluators of color to leave the field. Experiences of tokenism and imposter syndrome can be constant and exhausting for evaluators of color, affecting retention, particularly if leaders do not recognize the problem. Instead of expecting staff of color to conform to the dominant culture, organizations need to understand that successful diversification of staff and leaders necessitates a shift in culture. For example, evaluators of color noted that the burden of addressing DEI and calling out racism is often placed on them as they are assumed to be experts: “It’s exhausting. The DEI work is always placed on people of color to represent communities and have these conversations.”
A commitment to DEI must go beyond the token appearance of diversity. Focusing on hiring people of color without thoughtfully matching the range of experience of the team with what will enrich the work ignores the value of a diverse team and the individuals that comprise it. For example, evaluators of color cited examples of being tapped to join an evaluation project when philanthropic clients asked for demographics of staff in their RFPs, yet not feeling meaningfully included in the subsequent work: “Oftentimes funders want perspectives from evaluators of color when it involves research for those communities. But that’s just tokenism.”
Employers who commit to diversifying their staff need to take the perspective that it is the organization’s job to actively support staff success and inclusion. When organizations have difficulty retaining staff of color, they often perceive the person of color as the problem, not the ecosystem that reinforces inequities. Persistent challenges with retention should signal a need for the organization to self-reflect on its culture and make changes: “The narrative… is that consulting is cutthroat and competitive: You can either do it or you can’t; you either have the skills or you don’t. The narrative hasn’t been, ‘We suck at keeping people of color.’”
An invitation to change: How can funders and evaluation firms support evaluators of color?
Listening session participants offered several recommendations for how funders and evaluation firms can work together to support the retention and leadership development of evaluators of color. Funders are in a prime position to lead efforts to prioritize DEI through investments in evaluation capacity building and professional development for staff of color. Evaluation firms, likewise, must take the lead on engaging deeply in internal DEI cultural change and on developing mentorship, peer support, and professional development opportunities that support staff of color. Later this summer, the Funder and Evaluator Affinity Network will share more detailed recommendations for how the field can better support evaluators of color who work with and within philanthropy.
We all have a role to play to dismantle oppression in the evaluation field. While it is incumbent on our white colleagues to do this work, we also heard the call from evaluators of color to create their own spaces to reflect and imagine a new path forward. Listening session participants valued the space this work created for them to reflect on their experiences and share ideas with their peers of what inclusive and equitable practices would look and feel like, and expressed a strong desire to continue to gather in this way: “An affinity space like this focus group is missing—having the opportunity to talk to like-minded folks about how you are feeling personally and professionally, and all the different positions we are put in as an evaluator.” Funders and evaluation firms are well-positioned to support affinity groups or communities of practice focused on supporting professional development in this way. For example, evaluators of color in Minnesota recently formed their own community of practice, and this effort might serve as a model for others interested in this approach.
While this work focused on the experiences of evaluators of color living in California, we believe the voices in this brief will resonate with our colleagues beyond California and will hopefully inspire self-reflection, listening, and the creation of new supports that will lead to transformative actions.
As you read the brief, we invite you to reflect on the following and join us in conversation:
What in the brief resonates with your own lived experience? What are you curious to learn more about?
Think about the cultural norms within your organization. What helps or hinders staff of color? What actions might you take to support your colleagues of color?
Imagine what it would feel and look like to be part of an evaluation field that values lived experience and is truly inclusive of diverse perspectives. What first step might you take to get there?
