Date: Tuesday, January 28, 2025
Hello, fellow evaluators! I’m Hashim Pashtun, part of the Impact Measurement and Management (IMM) team at the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service, Ohio University. In October, I had the privilege of attending the Annual AEA Conference in Portland, Oregon, alongside my colleagues Kelli Schoen and Zarek Bell. It was our first AEA experience, and what struck me most was not just the sheer scale of the event—welcoming over 3,000 participants—but the richness of perspectives brought together under one roof.
Walking into AEA felt like entering a microcosm of global collaboration. Attendees came from diverse professional backgrounds: healthcare, education, social finance, public policy, and community development, to name a few. The variety of approaches to evaluation was a reminder that our work transcends disciplines. Every voice contributed to a shared goal: understanding and amplifying impact. This diversity isn’t just a hallmark of AEA; it’s the essence of evaluation itself. The field thrives on cross-pollination, where ideas from one sector illuminate challenges in another.
At the heart of our contribution to AEA was our ignite session, “Valuing What Matters: Using Social Return on Investment Analysis to Bring New Perspectives to the Table.” Social Return on Investment (SROI) isn’t just a method; it’s a philosophy. By translating social impact into monetary terms, SROI provides a universal language that resonates with stakeholders, funders, and policymakers alike.
For many attendees, this was a new framework, sparking conversations around its potential. SROI isn’t just about numbers—it’s about storytelling. It brings to light the ripple effects of interventions, highlighting these often-overlooked outcomes makes SROI a powerful tool for advocacy and decision-making.
As I sat in various sessions, it became clear that evaluation isn’t just a technical exercise; it’s a deeply human endeavor. Whether measuring the success of a public health campaign or the efficacy of educational reform, the work we do reflects a fundamental truth: all actions are interconnected.
SROI embodies this interconnectedness by revealing how investments in one area—say, mental health—can cascade into broader societal benefits, such as reduced unemployment or improved community well-being.
One of the most enriching parts of the conference was engaging with the Social Finance TIG. The energy and enthusiasm of this group were infectious, reminding me that evaluation is as much about community as it is about data. The TIG’s commitment to promoting innovative approaches, like SROI, underscored the collective power of evaluators to drive meaningful change. I’m thrilled to have been selected as the Webinars Co-Chair, a role that will allow me to contribute further to this dynamic group.
As evaluators, we’re not confined by boundaries—we’re bridge builders, storytellers, and advocates for change. Therefore, I’m inspired by the possibilities sparked at AEA. The conference was more than an event; it was a convergence of minds and missions. For Ohio University’s IMM team, this is just the beginning of deeper connections, interdisciplinary collaborations, and continued exploration of how to measure what truly matters.
To my fellow evaluators: Let’s keep building bridges, asking questions, and challenging ourselves to look beyond the obvious. After all, our work isn’t just about finding answers—it’s about creating value.
Until next time, stay curious.
The American Evaluation Association is hosting Social Finance TIG Week with our colleagues in the Social Finance Topical Interest Group. The contributions all this week to AEA365 come from our SF TIG members. 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.