Nonprofit Mission: Impact Rethinking Nonprofit Program Evaluation with Kayla Meyers
Oct 21, 2025
Kayla Meyers, founder of Bridgepoint Evaluation and seasoned program evaluator, explains reimagining evaluation as collaborative and curiosity-driven. She talks about shifting away from punitive audits, right-sizing evaluations for small nonprofits, starting with strategy, and pairing numbers with stories to communicate impact.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Evaluation's Troubled Past Shapes Perception
- Evaluation has a troubled history as a government-driven, justification tool rather than a collaborative learning practice.
- Kayla Meyers says modern evaluation must discard the punitive, 'expert-only' model and center shared inquiry.
Make Evaluation Collaborative And Transparent
- Treat evaluation as collaborative and transparent, not data extraction or judgment.
- Kayla Meyers suggests practices like ongoing consent and sharing power with communities you study.
Blame The Protocol, Not The People
- Implementation gaps often reflect protocol issues, not failing staff.
- Kayla Meyers says evaluation can reveal where protocols clash with real-world context and should prompt design changes.