Standards #3: assess & reflect
Goal: Learn what you did, compared to what you set out to do.
Evaluation is a way to understand how your event or project unfolded compared to the benchmarks you set at the beginning. You decide what success looks like first, and then you look honestly at where you landed.
This process can be compassionate and respectful, to yourself, your team, and your participants. In our work, evaluation isn’t about declaring something a failure /success or collecting data. It’s about learning and iterating so the work can reach further over time.
Below, we share a template for moving values to decisions to evaluation. It can spark unexpected forms of creativity, including new and innovative projects.
Values (tab 1): What universally matters to you and how systems would operate if your values were normal
Design principles (tab 2): How values might apply to a mission/ project
Policies (tab 3): Translating into day-to-day decisions
Curation (tab 4): Translating into curatorial decisions
Evaluation (tab 5): how to benchmark.
Step 1: Design the Questions (and Identify Who They’re For)
The template is a practical tool for deciding what questions whether policies you set at the beginning unfolded the way you hoped.
Writing Questions
Ask if a policy had the effect you hoped for. Write questions using “Did / Were / Was”
Lists concrete, observable practices or outcomes that demonstrate alignment with values and principles.
Examples include whether contributors were credited, workloads were adjusted, collective action was enabled, and public space was stewarded.
Decide on a response scale (eg, Yes, Mostly, Somewhat, Not quite, Not at all, NA)
Who’s Asked: Specify the group or individuals best positioned to answer each question
Value / Principle: For each question, check which values or principles it touches. This allows you to track alignment across multiple dimensions.
Types of Questions
Values: Create questions that reflect whether the policies you created has the effect you hoped for. The template continues the values practices you built at the beginning, so it's currently focused on assessing policy success only.
Neutral: You can include neutral questions like attendance numbers or timing, whether or not you set a target in advance.
Other: Do you have goals or intentions that aren't explicitly tied to values? Add them if needed, and make sure they don't conflict with values.
Step 2: Circulate Questions for Feedback
Before finalizing, share your draft questions with a few trusted people.
Check for clarity, tone, and relevance.
Remove questions that feel extractive, confusing, or unnecessary.
Make sure questions align with what you actually have the capacity to act on.
Prioritize: Focus on the most important questions. Fewer is often better for everyone.
Step 3: Gather Responses Simply
Short surveys, quick polls, or informal check-ins work well.
Real-time feedback (during or immediately after the event) is often more accurate and accessible.
Keep it brief. People are more likely to respond.
Step 4: Decide What Actions to Take
Review responses and look for patterns.
Identify a small number of changes to make in future work.
Name what should stay the same.
Share learnings with your collaborators where appropriate.
