Introduction
Vibrant Communities Calgary (VCC) is seeking proposals from qualified evaluation professionals or firms to conduct the 2024 evaluation of VCC’s organizational impact and the
Enough for All (E4A) poverty reduction strategy. This evaluation will assess VCC’s performance against its strategic plan and funder metrics while also evaluating Enough for All’s collective impact strategy.
Background
VCC is the steward of Enough for All, Calgary’s community-owned poverty reduction strategy. Enough for All is a collective impact, systems change strategy that requires a sophisticated evaluation beyond traditional output measures. This evaluation will integrate VCC’s strategic plan metrics, funder requirements, and the Enough for All Evaluation Framework.
The evaluation will incorporate an Indigenous approach to assess VCC and Enough for All’s progress in advancing truth and reconciliation.
Key Priorities for VCC
The final product will be one that:
· Prioritizes Insight over Volume: The final report should be concise yet comprehensive, highlighting key insights, trends, and actionable recommendations.
· Emphasizes Accessibility: The evaluation should be structured in a way that is digestible for a variety of audiences, including Board members, funders, and community partners (Champions).
· Combines Quantitative and Qualitative Insights: Data points should be paired with compelling narratives to tell the story of VCC and E4A’s impact.
· Integrates an Indigenous Lens: The evaluation should respectfully incorporate Indigenous perspectives and methodologies to assess progress in advancing truth and reconciliation.
· Focuses on What’s Working and What’s Needed: The evaluation should identify key strengths while highlighting clear, practical recommendations for improvement.
Scope of Work
The selected evaluator will conduct a comprehensive evaluation that includes the following components:
Part One: VCC Organizational Evaluation
The evaluator will assess VCC’s progress against the following metrics. (Please note that VCC has several sub-metrics in addition to those listed here. These are provided at a high level for context and so that the evaluator can speak to prior experience in this type of evaluation.)
Community Wellbeing
- Improved wellbeing metrics based on Calgary's Wellbeing Dashboard (launching in late 2024) and other data sources such as Statistics Canada and the Government of Alberta.
- Reporting on key poverty trends in Calgary.
Policy Advocacy
- Measuring VCC’s influence on municipal and provincial government budgets, policy regulations, and advocacy efforts.
- Evaluating engagement with policymakers and the extent to which VCC’s research is referenced in government documents.
Research
- Assessing VCC’s research contributions to policy development and systems change.
- Measuring uptake of VCC’s research by policymakers, media, and stakeholders.
Community Engagement
- Evaluating partnerships, Enough for All Champion engagement, and Indigenous collaboration efforts.
- Assessing the impact of VCC’s role in fostering community alignment on poverty reduction.
Operations and Resources
- Evaluating VCC’s internal processes, staffing, and resource management to ensure operational stability and sustainability.
Part Two: Enough for All Strategy Evaluation
The evaluator will assess the E4A strategy's effectiveness using the Enough for All Evaluation Framework, with attention to:
- Enough for All Champion Contributions: Measuring Champion engagement and contributions to Enough for All’s levers of change.
- Effectiveness of Backbone Support: Evaluating VCC’s role as a backbone organization supporting community-wide poverty reduction efforts.
- Principles Implementation: Assessing how Enough for All’s guiding principles are being applied.
- Indigenous Approach: Incorporating Indigenous methodologies to evaluate Enough for All’s work in advancing truth and reconciliation.
Deliverables
The evaluator will be required to deliver:
- Evaluation Plan: Outlining the proposed methodology, timeline, and engagement strategy.
- Stakeholder Engagement: Conduct focus groups, surveys, and interviews as needed.
- Draft Report: A concise yet comprehensive report summarizing findings, insights, and actionable recommendations.
- Final Report: A finalized evaluation report, including an executive summary, key findings, and practical recommendations.
- Presentation: A presentation of findings to VCC’s leadership and, if requested, the Board of Directors.
Proposal Requirements
Proposals should include the following:
- Cover Letter: Introduction to the applicant or firm, including contact information.
- Experience and Qualifications: Outline relevant experience in evaluating collective impact strategies, systems change initiatives, and Indigenous approaches.
- Proposed Methodology: Describe the approach and evaluation methods to be used.
- Work Plan and Timeline: Provide a detailed work plan with clear timelines.
- Budget: Detailed breakdown of proposed costs, including professional fees, travel expenses, and other costs.
- References: Contact information for at least two clients with similar project experience.
Selection Criteria
Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Experience and Expertise: Demonstrated ability to conduct complex systems change evaluations.
- Methodological Approach: Clear and effective strategies for data collection, analysis, and reporting.
- Inclusion of Indigenous Approaches: Understanding of Indigenous evaluation methods and engagement practices.
- Cost Effectiveness: Reasonable budget with value for money.
- Work Plan and Timeline: Clear milestones and achievable timelines.
Timeline
- RFP Issued: March 27, 2025
- Deadline for Proposals: April 18, 2025
- Evaluator Selected: April 25, 2025
- Evaluation Period: April 2025 – June 2025
- Draft Report Due: July 7, 2025
- Final Report Due: July 31, 2025
Submission Instructions
Please submit your proposal electronically to:
Tessa Penich, Leader, Organizational Effectiveness at Vibrant Communities Calgary (
tessa@vibrantcalgary.com).
Subject: VCC Evaluation Proposal.
For inquiries regarding this RFP, please contact Tessa by April 16, 2025, at noon.
