From Metrics to Meaning: Centering Community Voice in Evidence-Informed Decision-Making

This article was written in collaboration with Alicia Thomas, DrPH, MHS from Indigo Strategic Health Advisors

We often say, “what gets measured gets done.” But just as important (and far less examined) is the question of who gets to decide what’s measured, whose questions are prioritized, how we meaningfully engage communities, and whose voices shape the meaning of results.

In philanthropy and nonprofit work, evaluation is often framed as neutral or objective. But behind every indicator, metric, or report are a series of choices about what matters, what gets shared, and what gets excluded. Traditionally, those choices are made by people who are often removed from the communities most impacted by the work. As such, the selected evaluation findings may be less relevant and useful to those who need them—worse, the story is altered which distorts reality.

Over the years, we’ve seen this dynamic play out in subtle and systemic ways. Read the full article here or click on the image below.