Embracing a Complexity Worldview: Creativity and Radical Imagination in Action
ALAE encourages creativity and adaptability as essential tools for working within complex systems. One critical practice for navigating these systems is accessing the flow state — a mental state where individuals become fully immersed, focused, and energized.
Reckoning With Evaluation‘s Roots
In our previous post introducing ALAE, we listed the evaluation roots that we drew from. These were choiceful. We learn from and are inspired by some aspects of evaluation and reject others. In this post, we’d like to briefly explore the history of evaluation, examining its evolution and the critical need to address its past and present shortcomings.
ALAE: Evaluation for people who want to change the world
The ALAE (ah-LAY) approach emphasizes holistic personal and collective change, using the central metaphor of a tree to guide the interdependent acts of engagement and evaluation.
The Builder: Building tangible realities from intangible and visionary plan
Builders have a strong drive to create and construct. In change work, they are the engine that drives ideas from the realm of imagination to reality. They don’t just build anything — but solutions that better the world in all kinds of forms, such as physical structures, systems, and organizations.
Making Our Assumptions Explicit
At Inspire to Change, our holistic approach is rooted in a clear vision, guiding principles, and intentional focus areas. We believe that openly embracing and sharing our assumptions, viewpoints, and values is essential for driving meaningful transformation. By explicitly naming these assumptions and reflecting on how they shape our practice, we not only hold ourselves accountable but also invite our partners to do the same. Too often, well-intentioned collaborations falter because the “obvious” goes unspoken or undefined.
The Bridger: Bridging relationships across cultural and conceptual divides
Bridgers are the architects of the bridges that connect these “islands”, helping them find common ground, collaborate, learn from each other, and work towards common goals.
They’re motivated by a deep sense of empathy, a genuine desire to understand others, and an unwavering commitment to creating a more harmonious world. They are the listeners in a world of noise, the peacemakers in times of discord, and the connectors in a society often divided along the lines of culture, ideology, and nationality.
The Togetherness Practice: A Framework for Collective Flourishing
The Togetherness Practice: A Framework for Collective Flourishing
In a world of constant change, how do we create balance and transformation in our personal and professional lives? For years, I sought a way to align individual strengths with collective purpose—and then I discovered the Togetherness Practice (TP).
Rooted in conversations with global changemakers, TP integrates internal capacities, external conditions, and the relational field into a dynamic framework for growth. It helps us shift from old patterns of fear and scarcity to new paradigms of openness, trust, and collaboration.
JOIN OUR Community of Practice: Design Evaluations That Bring Your Purpose to Life
Join our 3-month ALAE Community of Practice in Q1 2025, an opportunity for individuals and organizations committed to social transformation to gain clarity, build confidence, and design evaluations that drive real impact. Whether you’re an “accidental evaluator” or a seasoned leader, this community will equip you with the tools to evaluate with purpose and precision.
Why I Don’t Want to Do Your Evaluation For You
At some point, I realized I didn’t want to do evaluations for accidental evaluators—my kindred spirits—anymore. That model felt transactional. It was like mining: extracting information, crafting a report, and then leaving. I’d take my resources away when the evaluation was over, leaving behind a few polished gems but no sustainable way forward.
Instead, I shifted to a coaching approach, grounded in collaboration, co-creation, and building capacity for lasting impact. Here’s why….
The Advocate: Supporting and defending causes and rights
Have you ever witnessed someone stepping forward, even in the face of adversity, to champion the rights of others?
These individuals can’t walk past an injustice without feeling the urge to act. Their hearts beat to the rhythm of fairness, equality, and justice, and they’re relentless in their pursuit of liberation. These are the changemakers known as advocates.
Accidental Evaluators: Cultivating Purpose, Connection, and Meaningful Change
There are as many unique journeys to this place as there are people on them. Many of us who become “accidental evaluators” hold roles—either officially or unofficially—such as innovator, entrepreneur, intrapreneur, change agent, or reflective practitioner. We’re driven by a commitment to meaningful impact, navigating the complexity and dynamism of our work environments. Along my own journey, I’ve drawn inspiration from books that explore what it means to be a change agent turned evaluator—where evaluation becomes not just a role, but a way to make a lasting contribution to the world. Here are some defining qualities of accidental evaluators, along with insights from key texts that have shaped my thinking.
Demystifying Evaluation: Practical Tools for Purpose-Driven Professionals
or many purpose-driven professionals, the idea of evaluation can feel overwhelming or like a drain on already stretched resources. With multiple priorities to juggle, tracking impact might seem like just another item on the to-do list. But evaluation doesn’t have to be overwhelming. In fact, it can be inspiring and energizing, providing fresh insights and a renewed sense of purpose. With a few intentional, systematic practices, you can start gathering meaningful insights about your work—whether you’re working solo or with a team.
A Call to White Women: A Time for Unity, Allyship, and Inner Work.
Now, I want to speak directly to my fellow heterosexual, cisgender white women. We have a unique role to play here, one that requires us to dig deeper—not only to stand with those most at risk but also to examine and address our own racial reactivity. We have a reservoir of resilience and compassion to draw from, and we need to tap into it fully so we can be allies in ways that uplift, support, and don’t inadvertently harm.
Coaching the Accidental Evaluator: Making Evaluation Accessible and Meaningful
In my journey as an evaluation coach and practitioner, I often meet professionals who have unexpectedly found themselves in the role of “evaluator.” Perhaps they began as social workers, community organizers, or educators, focused on supporting individuals and strengthening communities. Evaluation may not have been a part of their original job description, yet, over time, it became essential to assess the impact of their work and make data-driven decisions. These are what I lovingly call "accidental evaluators."
ALAE: Who It’s For, Why It Matters, and How You Can Join Us in Creating Change
ALAE isn’t for every person or every situation. It’s about finding a fit—about aligning with a process that resonates with your values, your sense of purpose, and your commitment to meaningful, sustainable change. If you’re looking for a quick fix or surface-level strategies, ALAE may not be what you’re seeking. But if you’re ready for deep, transformative work, then ALAE might be exactly the approach you need.
Rethinking Perfection: A Journey Beyond White Supremacy Culture
I invite you to join me on this journey.
