Independent evaluation
How we measure whether BrainGain.Expert works, who checks it, and where anyone can read the results.
evaluate
Expertise is only aid if it leaves something behind. We measure whether it does, and we invite people outside BrainGain.Expert to check our work.
Accountability
Donors and partners should see what their support changed, not only what we did with it.
Learning
Evidence shows which matches, formats and grants work, so every program is better than the last.
Honesty
We publish what did not work alongside what did. An organisation that cannot show its failures should not be trusted with its successes.
principles
Six commitments that make our evaluations credible.
Independent. External evaluators with no financial or personal ties to BrainGain.Expert, its Fellows or the businesses assessed lead every evaluation.
Published in full. Every evaluation report is published unedited, with our management response and the actions we will take.
Measured from day one. Each business is assessed when it joins, so change is measured against a real baseline, not a story.
Built on recognised standards. We use the OECD DAC evaluation criteria: relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability.
Consent and privacy first. Participants agree to take part, data is handled under GDPR, and no one is identified without their agreement.
Followed through. Recommendations are tracked until they are acted on, and progress is reported in our annual report.
What we measure
Indicators are agreed with each business at the start and reported in aggregate, so no business is exposed without its consent.
Did the business grow stronger?
- Revenue and costs against the baseline
- Jobs kept and jobs created
- Survival and continuity 12 months after the program
- Access to new markets or finance
Does the change stay?
- Processes documented and in use
- Skills transferred to the team and applied
- Decisions the business now makes without outside help
- Status of the changes 12 months later
Was support used well?
- Fellow hours delivered and ratings from businesses
- Quality of matches and time to start
- How grants were used and what they enabled
- Cost per business supported
How evaluation works
Four moments in every program, from the day a business joins to a year after it finishes.
Baseline
When a business joins, we record where it starts, together with the owner, using indicators agreed in advance.
End of program
We measure change against the baseline and collect structured feedback from the business and its Fellows.
12-month follow-up
We check whether the changes are still in place and what they led to. This is where capability proves it stayed.
Independent review
An external evaluator reviews each program and its results. The report is published in full, with our response.
Evaluation library
Program 01 is starting now. Its baseline summary and first evaluation will be published here and in Reports & documentation.
Support the
Foundation
Individual donations
Whether you have worked in a fragile economy or simply believe expertise is aid, your gift helps a local business get the people it needs to start, recover or grow.
How we accept gifts →Make a donation
Sponsorship and partnership
Companies and foundations can support the BrainGain.Expert Foundation, sponsor a specific program and raise its priority, or contribute technology to the BrainGain.Expert Resource Pool. Let's build it together.
Learn more→