Case Study:
An organisation-wide, staff-owned evaluation strategy
Cape York NRM
The Situation
Cape York NRM, a not-for-profit that supports sustainable natural resource management (NRM), needed to finalise an organisation-wide Evaluation & Improvement Strategy – a critical requirement for government funding.
The strategy had to align with a complex program logic model and be fully adopted by ~20 staff delivering diverse, on-ground projects. At the same time, the Board required a structured self-assessment to evaluate its performance and effectiveness.
The approach
Renée led a collaborative, practical process to ensure both rigour and staff ownership.
Renée facilitated two workshops with all staff to co-design:
- Agreed evaluation principles.
- A practical evaluation calendar, helping teams plan activities around wet/dry seasons and optimal stakeholder engagement periods.
- Clear KPIs, targets, responsibilities and stakeholder reporting arrangements.
- Input for a future real-time dashboard to monitor organisational performance.
- Standardised evaluation practices by adapting an existing team template for organisation-wide use.
Renée also worked closely with the CEO and Board Directors to design and deliver a Board performance survey, maintaining consistency with previous assessments to preserve continuity of data over time.
The Result
Renée delivered practical outcomes that were immediately adopted across the organisation:
- A funding-ready Evaluation & Improvement Strategy delivered with minimal revisions.
- Strong staff buy-in, with tools immediately adopted. Staff particularly liked the evaluation calendar, providing clarity on when and how to conduct evaluation activities across the year.
- Clearly defined stakeholder reporting, improving accountability and communication.
- A detailed Board performance report with actionable governance insights.
“Renée worked with Cape York NRM Directors and staff to develop a multi-level evaluation and improvement strategy based on an existing organisation-wide program logic for strategic and business planning.
Renée prepared and administered surveys and conducted a series of staff consultation workshops to gather input for the Strategy.
Renée was flexible in her approach and timing, prepared meticulously and communicated well with myself and key team members throughout the project. She accommodated the needs of a diverse Board and multi-disciplined staff team and ensured that the workshops were engaging for the participants.
I highly recommend Renée to anyone looking to engage her services.”
– Bob Frazer, Acting CEO, Cape York NRM
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