Community Waitakere is a community development organization committed to achieving strong, dynamic, sustainable community and voluntary sectors in Waitakere.  They do this by strengthening links between community groups, organizations, businesses, government and individuals by promoting and modeling collaboration and partnering, enhancing networking and communication, developing projects and helping to foster collective visions of positive change in Waitakere New Zealand.  Community Waitakere commissioned the Community Development Evaluation Research Project to offer a set of resources and tools to support the development of effective evaluation frameworks by community development organizations.  The following three, inter-related documents represent Stage One of this Four Stage research project.  The three documents are:

1. Literature Review of Evaluation Methods & Methodologies – This literature review of community development evaluation examines eight specific evaluation methods.  It also provides examples of a range for practical tools and evaluation exercises focused on the needs of small community development organizations interested in developing their own evaluation frameworks
2. Community Development Evaluation Measures: Indicators of Success – This document brings together a collection of social and community well-being indicators that are intended as a resource for community development organizations in designing and developing evaluation within their programs and services.
3. Case Studies – Evaluation Frameworks in Community Development Organizations – This document is a collection of five case studies – including Tamarack’s Vibrant Communities -- of organizations and programs that are doing evaluation. These case studies are not necessarily best practice, but were chosen to highlight methodologies, methods and tools and for the learning that community development organizations may gain from understanding their approach to evaluation.

We appreciate the sharing of these rich resources and look forward to the work generated by future phases of this valuable research project.