My name is Zachary Grays and I am the Senior Membership and Operations Manager here at the American Evaluation Association (AEA). AEA plays an important part in shaping the career journey and identity of our approximately 5,000 members as their professional home. At the core of the AEA member community are our Topical Interest Groups (TIGs), exclusive member communities defined around a special topic or interest whereby the knowledge, experience, and skills of each member can become a resource that the entire community can leverage. I LOVE our TIGs! And here is the simple reason why you should too: TIGs are the way to find your people.
When asked the value of TIGs, overwhelming volunteer TIG leaders (seasoned and new) replied that TIGs are a part of the evaluator identity, serving as communities of practice, evaluator homes/families, and hubs responsible for sharing and building knowledge/skills.
Whether you’re new to the field, an expert in your respective industry within the field, or you’re curious about something, there is a TIG for that! Their impact is felt throughout the organization and, by extension, enhances the field.
What can TIG membership do for you?
TIG membership is your gateway as an AEA member to participating in complex evaluation conversations and advancing the field. Throughout the year, TIG membership could look like volunteering to review TIG proposals in support of Evaluation 2024 or participating in facilitated TIG activities throughout the program year. While TIG activity varies from TIG to TIG, there is an abundance of opportunity to create thriving communities of practice among colleagues. For example, AEA’s Costs, Effectiveness, Benefits, and Economics TIG hosts quarterly meetups with invited guests on the most salient topics related to the TIG (most recently inviting Dr. Julian King to discuss Cost-Benefit Analysis through an evaluative lens). Our International and Cross-Cultural Evaluation TIG annually coordinates AEA’s International Travel Awards which supports our international colleagues from under resourced countries to attend, present, and lead important conversations at our annual conference.
How do I contribute as a TIG member?
TIG membership is where we lift together. As a member of a TIG, you not only shape your own evaluator identity but that of others through year-round engagement. This is exemplified through offerings from the Independent Consulting TIG who hosts IC Topic Chats in addition to publishing regular newsletters highlighting its members’ wins, opportunities to dialogue on best practices, tips, tricks, and resources, and other career opportunities.
TIGs are many members’ first foray in giving back to the field and getting involved in AEA. TIGs are an important part of AEA’s leadership pipeline with many AEA Board members, past and present, starting as a volunteer TIG Leaders!
In conclusion, TIGs are critical to the fostering of community in this large organization, answering the call of where does one start when joining AEA. TIGs are where you find your people. They’re where you make global connections. They’re where you find a buddy for your first AEA conference. They’re where you quench your thirst for knowledge.
AEA members can join as many TIGs as they wish though we recommend starting with five (5) to best manage engagement.
Do you have questions, concerns, kudos, or content to extend this aea365 contribution? Please add them in the comments section for this post on the aea365 webpage so that we may enrich our community of practice. Would you like to submit an aea365 Tip? Please send a note of interest to aea365@eval.org . aea365 is sponsored by the American Evaluation Association and provides a Tip-a-Day by and for evaluators. The views and opinions expressed on the AEA365 blog are solely those of the original authors and other contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of the American Evaluation Association, and/or any/all contributors to this site.