Hello and welcome to our first ever Evalua-Tea newsletter!
We’re so glad you’re here. This is a space where evaluation meets a good warm Tea!
Before we begin, grab a pen and paper, make yourself a warm cup of tea, and settle in. Evalua-Tea is your invitation to pause, reflect, and explore evaluation in a way that feels human, nourishing, and just a little bit cozy.
Each month, we’ll gather around the teapot to explore ideas, questions, and tools that support your evaluation practice. In this newsletter, you can look forward to:
- A tea recommendation of the month to sip while you think
- An evaluation reflective journal prompt to deepen your practice
- Your invitation to our first ever community live!!
- A tool of the moment to add to your evaluation toolkit
- and so much more….
Whether you’re new to evaluation or have years of experience brewing behind you, Evalua-Tea is here to hold space for learning, reflection, and connection.
So, take a sip, turn the page, and let’s talk evaluation
Tool of the moment
The Logic Model Framework
The Logic Model Framework is a simple but powerful planning and evaluation tool that maps inputs, outputs, outcomes, and impact to force clarity about goals and expected results. It helps to explore the pathway from resources to long-term impact.
At its best, a logic model turns fuzzy intentions into a shared, visible theory of change.
What it’s useful for: Designing programs, initiatives, or projects with evaluation in mind from the start
When to be mindful: It can oversimplify messy, non-linear work and works best as a living document
Find out more about the logic model framework in the upcoming community live.
🫖 Evalua-Tea Community Live 🫖
Come and join us for our first ever Evalua-Tea community live!
Getting your evaluation REF Ready
Join us for our upcoming community live session as we begin exploring practical tools, helpful hints, and smart strategies to prepare for REF.
REF 2029 may have once felt a long way off, but preparation starts now. The earlier we begin thinking, planning, and sharing ideas, the stronger we will be as a community.
This session is about coming together, learning from one another, and building confidence in our evaluation approaches ready for REF 2029.
Feel free to share your questions and thoughts here ahead of our first community live
Session Format
20 minutes – Hellos, welcome, settling in, and introduction to the topic
20 minutes – Group discussions (yes, breakout rooms!)
15 minutes – Shared discussion and reflections
5 minutes – Wrap-up and key takeaways
Bring your pen and paper, a warm cup of tea, and an open heart and mind!
Cannot make the live but still want to join the conversation?
Do not worry, I will be sharing a summary in the next newsletter- so keep your eyes peeled!
You can also drop us a line here to add to the conversation…
Tea of the Month
This month we’re drinking: Earl Grey
Why this tea:
Bright, grounding, and quietly energising.
Reflective prompt…
Grab yourself a pen and paper and simply write …no overthinking!
Where in your current evaluation work are you answering questions that no longer feel like the right ones?
📓 Practice Note 📓
Something we’re noticing in our evaluation work…
Across multiple projects lately, the same pattern keeps surfacing: timelines are getting tighter, turnarounds are faster, and funding windows are narrower. Evaluation is often expected to do a lot of heavy lifting in very little time, especially at the end of a project, when energy, capacity, and budgets are already stretched thin. As a result, evaluation can start to feel like a scramble rather than a reflective process, something bolted on at the last minute rather than woven through the work.
What consistently helps is starting earlier than feels necessary. Making plans for evaluation at the outset, and then embedding it wherever possible throughout the project cycle. That might mean building reflection moments into activities, collecting lighter-touch data along the way, or aligning evaluation questions with decisions you already need to make. When evaluation is part of the rhythm of a project, it becomes more manageable and more useful.
One other thing we keep coming back to is this: there is no failing at evaluation. There is no perfect design, no flawless dataset, no gold-standard approach that fits every context. Putting a plan in place, doing the best you can with the time and resources available, and using evaluation as a tool to learn and reflect is enough. Evaluation is not about proving perfection. It’s about understanding what happened, what shifted, and what you might do differently next time.
In short, earlier planning and a little self-compassion go a long way.
Who’s behind this email…
We are Engagement with Impact: a training, consultancy and evaluation company. We are a small, but perfectly formed, team. We were very excited to expand to four of us last year, and are excited to be working on this new community project. Look out for more about us in the next newsletter.
Thank you…
Thank you for being here at the very beginning. If anything in this issue stirred a thought or a question, you’re welcome to reply. We read every response.
Next month, we’ll be talking about reflective tools as a powerful way to enhance our evaluation toolkit so keep an eye out! In the meantime- go forth and brew boldly!
Engagement with Impact 