Evaluation practices in the french third sector organizations/ Florence Brunet

EVALUATION PRACTICES IN THE FRENCH THIRD SECTOR

ORGANIZATIONS

Ivalua seminar

Barcelona

November 3rd, 2011

Our datas and information sources

A long time experience of consultancy and evaluation for third sector’s associations and foundations…

… and for public authorities in the field of social inclusion, economic development and urban policies

A specific survey lead in 2009 about the evaluation practices of associations, foundations and charity organizations

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The landscape of french « associations »

The « associative » model : a dedicated legal framework… which recovers structures with diverse and multiple

purposes… …and different financing sources

The paradoxical situation of French associations : Operators of social policies for the government Structures bearing innovation and experiencing new

solidarities Militant organizations, mixing volunteers ans social workers

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A recent, but wide spreading of the « evaluation culture »

7 out of 10 associations have set up assessment

processes to evaluate their activities’ impact

9 out of 10 associations think it is necessary to evaluate

their performances

However, this trend concerns mostly :

the most « professionalized » structures

the structures working at an international level

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A strong impulse of financing actors

A growing pressure from the public financing institutions

Calls for tenders with more and more normative specifications which include an evaluation clause

A diffusion of the evaluation culture promoted by the european programs

Private financiers : from « donation » to « investment »

Organizations subjected to multiple controls

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The impact of the 2002 « social modernization law »

An impulse for the professionalization of associations and foundations

The obligation of assessment

New financing frameworks :

From perennial subventions to temporary measures

A need for « rentability »?

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Evaluation of performance and voluntary work : a delicate balance

Volunteers are sometimes reluctant to the evaluation principle

Organizational and practical issues : The absence of hierarchical frameworks The level of training of the volunteers Management constraints likely to discourage the

volunteers

Is it possible to « professionalize » the volonteers without « killing the volontary work »?

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A large range of evaluation practices… but sometimes a lack of methodological framework

Associations are sometimes reluctant to consider the link between results and costs

How to assess the « human dimension »?

A persistent confusion between « evaluation », « control » and « quantitative assessment » of the results

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A tool for the reflection rather than an answer for management

2 evaluations on 5 are internally made or self-conducted

90% TSO change their practices following the results of evaluations…

… but only 50% modify the allocation of their human and financial resources

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Progress to be made : the spreading and exploitation of the evaluation’s results

Only 25% of TSO : Communicate towards the public about the evaluation’s

results Mention these results in their annual report

Capitalizing on the results : a driving force for the development of evaluation

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Still several obstacles to overcome…

The danger of evaluation as being a strictly administrative process

The modelisation of standardized indicators, little adapted to the reality of TSO

The subordination to « an evaluation market », in the wake of the big european or national programs

The danger of a « smokescreen » evaluation : « it is not because you have an excellent evaluation that you are excellent… »

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Practices are today at a new stage of development

After the spreading of a « culture of the evaluation », the beginning of a new era of appropriation of its methods and its tools

TSO which free themselves from imposed frames and build their own reference framework for evaluation, based on their values and project

The notion of « performance » related to the concept of « social utility »

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