Approach & Services

Social impact evaluation begins with an understanding of “how” and “why”. Together, we will explore how and why you approach your work in the ways you do, critical questions you seek to answer, and data and information that matter most.

Informed by these conversations, we will work with you to identify rigorous, practical, and meaningful approaches that leverage numbers and stories; honor and integrate various ways of knowing; foster understanding; and thoughtfully assess value, outcome, and impact. We carefully consider capacity, interest, and level of engagement to be responsive to emerging needs and sustain evaluation over time.

We use equity-focused and strengths-based evaluation approaches and offer:

• Evaluation design
• Development and implementation of monitoring and evaluation plans
• Design and development of qualitative and quantitative instruments/tools
• Qualitative and quantitative data collection and data analysis
• Data reflection and making meaning of data
• Data visualization and dashboards
• Dissemination through visually engaging reports, presentations, case studies, one-pagers, practice papers, and manuscripts for peer-reviewed journals
• And more…

Policy advancement is integrated throughout much of our work. We seek to connect evidence, emerging practices, and knowledge rooted in lived experience to support policy implementation and sustainable solutions to health and well-being that center community strengths and wisdom.

In social impact evaluation, we seek to be generative vs. extractive, using data to highlight community strengths, assets, and emerging practices; inequities in health and well-being; and inequities in access and quality of care to inform legislative, regulatory, and organizational policy. We also provide capacity development and professional learning to engage and inform individuals, communities, and organizations when new policies are enacted; share information about new policies; support changes in processes, procedures, and practices; and evaluate progress and continue to engage, learn, and innovate to ensure sustainability.

We offer:

• Policy analysis
• Power mapping and stakeholder analysis
• Summaries of evidence and emerging practices
• Issue briefs
• Position/practice papers
• Engagement strategies to ensure awareness, understanding, and ongoing support for policy development and implementation
• Evaluation of policy implementation, including economic evaluation
• And more…

As in other facets of our work, we engage individuals, organizations, communities, and systems, grounded in principles of appreciative inquiry.

We will work with you to reflect on strengths, opportunities, and aspirations and envision systems, organizations, and teams as we dream they will be. We will create opportunities to identify strategies and policies that support you in moving from where you are in the moment to where you hope to be. We will explore ways to integrate evidence, emerging practices, and knowledge.

We will engage you in developing concrete and actionable goals, objectives, activities, metrics, and workplans that consider everyone’s role. We understand that you and your partners/team have competing priorities and may have various perspectives on how to define success. With that in mind, we will use a stages of readiness approach to identify opportunities for immediate “wins”, as well as longer-term goals and objectives to promote sustainability.

We offer:

• Landscape analyses
• Assessments focused on documenting the current state of clinical systems and programmatic, evaluative, and policy work
• Strategic and scenario planning
• Technical assistance tailored to meet the needs of organizational stakeholders
• Development of resources—briefs focused on best and emerging practices, tools to strengthen processes, procedures, and practices (e.g., checklists, job aids), and dashboards
• Interactive videoconferences to support peer learning, coaching/mentoring, and consultation
• Communities of practice and learning communities informed by the University of New Mexico Health Science Center’s ECHO Model™
• And more…

We believe that learning is a lifelong journey. We will work with you and your team to understand your strengths and aspirations and create learning opportunities that honor your strengths and experiences, build knowledge and skills, and provide opportunities for reflection and peer learning. We ground our work in learning theories that are contemporary and integrate principles of equity.

We deliver professional learning through a range of modalities, including live, instructor-led training; virtual training, including microlearning, eLearning and virtual instructor-led training; blended/hybrid training that combines instructor-led training with virtual training; training of trainers (TOTs); and continuing education, including for physicians, advanced practice clinicians, nurses, pharmacists, social workers, behavioral health professionals, Community Health Education Specialists (CHES), Community Health Workers (CHWs), and medical assistants.

Our professional learning provides space for reflection; individual and small and large group work; case-based learning; and action planning.

We offer:  

• Needs assessment and evaluation
• Curriculum design and adaptation
• Modality selection
• eLearning module design and development
• Podcasts
• Videos
• Learning management system (LMS) portal design and development
• And more…

In addition, we offer free and low-cost opportunities to support professional learning, including virtual courses and continuing education across a wide range of disciplines. Learn more about our professional learning program.