Holiday’s greetings, AEA365 readers! Liz DiLuzio here, lead curator of the blog. Since 2010, Kylie Hutchinson has been sharing a Christmas carol adaptation with an evaluation theme. It’s come to be a tradition here at AEA365, and something to which I know our readers look forward. It is bittersweet news, then, to share with you that this will be the last year that Kylie contributes a carol for our reading pleasure. Thank you for your lighthearted and festive contribution to the blog every December 25th, Kylie. You will be missed!
Interested in sharing your own evaluation-related holiday post? Reach out to me at aea365@eval.org to get yourself on our calendar.
Hi, I’m Kylie Hutchinson, an independent evaluator with Community Solutions Planning & Evaluation and author of three books about evaluation and program planning: A Short Primer on Innovative Evaluation Reporting, Evaluation Failures: 22 Tales of Mistakes Made and Lessons Learned, and Survive and Thrive: Three Steps to Securing Your Program’s Sustainability.
Every year I adapt a holiday song to share with my colleagues and clients. Season’s greetings, and enjoy!
God Rest Ye Merry Grantseekers
(sung to the tune of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen)
God rest ye merry grantseekers, let nothing you dismay,
The cuts in government funding, will not stand in your way,
The work you do is recognized, your support will not sway,
We are building ca-pa-city, capacity,
We are building our capacity.
Friend-raising not fundraising, is currently the trend,
To cultivate relationships, will pay off in the end,
‘Cause major donors are much less work, less time on grants you’ll spend
We are building ca-pa-city, capacity,
We are building our capacity.
Collaboration and partnerships, the buzzwords of the day,
Forced or voluntary, they’re likely here to stay,
So choose your partner wisely, and things will go your way,
We are building ca-pa-city, capacity,
We are building our capacity.
Evaluation and outcomes, our logic model’s swell,
It tells us what we’re doing, to whom, how much, how well,
And of our positive impacts, our funders we will tell,
We are building ca-pa-city, capacity,
We are building our capacity.
Accreditation’s a nasty thought, it just won’t go away,
But if we do it once this year, our grading it will stay,
We’ll know for sure we’re up to snuff, it’s worth the price we’ll pay,
We are building ca-pa-city, capacity,
We are building our capacity.
Cultural diversity, a thing we can’t ignore,
We must reflect our community, their needs and so much more,
Be models in all that we do, so people know the score,
We are building ca-pa-city, capacity,
We are building our capacity.
So take a bow, you’ve worked real hard, the sector’s strong today,
And think of all of those you’ve helped, this lovely Christmas Day,
It’s staff and volunteers like you, a vital role you play,
Who are building ca-pa-city, capacity,
Who are building our capacity.
Best Wishes for the Holidays from Kylie Hutchinson
