The following aims and objectives result from a review by Trustees and staff of the current external context and the learning from three years of work and an evaluation undertaken early in 2002 taking the views of customers, funders, partners, and consultants.

1. To enable small to medium organisations to undertake participatory evaluation: e.g.
* To encourage self help - information service - website, fact sheets, telephone enquiries, one off assessments, signposting
* To work face to face within organisations, including an element of training
* To energise organisations to learn and change
* To engage Management Committees
* To monitor the process and to follow up agreed action in the longer term
2. To work in partnership with other agencies to achieve the Evaluation Trust vision: e.g.
* To offer where possible joint training of voluntary organisations and statutory/funders with an aim of influencing funders (or policy)
* To deliver training followed by consultancy
* To work through local networks
* To develop partnerships for longer term work
3. To champion the importance of evaluation at all levels, particularly with funders and purchasers: e.g.
* To play an educational role with funders about evaluation
* To work through funders' forums
* To increase awareness of partners and funders of the value of evaluation
* To influence the culture within networks
4. To promote learning from the work in order to develop good practice: e.g.
* To develop/create opportunities for sharing learning - mentoring, cascading, producing materials with partners
* To enable development workers to acquire the ‘tools’
* To develop a tool kit, an active training programme, dissemination of work, writing up case studies
* To promote a learning culture from what works and what doesn’t
5. To collaborative nationally and internationally with those with an interest in a participatory approach to evaluation: e.g.
* To links with networks in Central and Eastern Europe, Northern Ireland and Scotland
6. To create an effective organisation which continuously evaluates its performance and which is funded to achieve its aims: e.g.
* To utilise the results of the recent major evaluation to develop the Evaluation Trust

Priorities for Action

In the short term - continue work within the South West with small to medium organisations (this requires more funding than at present).

In the medium term: (with in an increase in funding)

* extend into adjacent counties
* extend service to larger organisations
* find resources to publish