Behavioral Science Research Institute - BSRI

Expanding your organization’s capacity for evaluation doesn't always mean increasing your full-time hires.

Our new Consultant Support Guidance Document helps nonprofits determine whether the consultant model is the right fit and prepare for a strong engagement. It walks through clarifying evaluation needs, setting a realistic budget, vetting consultants for expertise and fit, and building a clear scope of work with defined deliverables and timelines.

The guide also covers what's easy to overlook (and necessary for long-term success): the internal systems needed to manage a consultant relationship well.

Bringing in outside support works best when it's paired with clear systems, defined expectations and internal capacity to manage the relationship well.

👉 Download the Consultant Guide: INSERT LINK

Need a bit more support? Check out our other resources on the topic.

Which Evaluation Model is Right for You? ➡️https://bsrinstitute.org/document/which-evaluation-model-is-right-for-you-a-practical-guide-for-organizational-leaders/

Last month marked a meaningful milestone for the IDEAS 2 Action Project: the final BSRI-led Collective Impact facilitated session.

Over the course of the project, the I2A Collective Impact Survey has captured the experiences of key staff across the I2A Learning Community ( ConnectFamilias, Overtown Children & Youth Coalition, Sant La Haitian Neighborhood Center, and University of Miami) in relation to the five conditions of Collective Impact. Each year, our team brought the findings back to the group for a facilitated session built around reflecting and forward-planning together. Partners left each session with key strategies to collaborate on and carry into the next year of the project.

This final session was a chance to look back across the length of the project and talk openly about what the Learning Community’s growth, partnership, and impact looked like over time and how it can evolve as the project officially comes to a close.

More than anything, this work has been about serving as a bridge between theories and frameworks and the people doing the work day in and day out to build a community-academic partnership.

We are deeply grateful for the trust and for our time spent learning and growing together. 🤝

How should your organization approach an evaluation contract? We’re here to help simplify the answer.

Our new Evaluation Support Pricing Guidance Resource draws on BSRI's experience across small projects, large-scale evaluations and complex grant-funded initiatives to help nonprofits build more realistic budgets. It breaks down what actually drives cost, including scope, technical expertise, data readiness, stakeholder engagement and organizational capacity. It also makes the case that strong evaluation requires investment in more than reports alone.

As we wind down, sharing what we've learned is part of how we hope to leave the field stronger. 📊

👉 Read the guide here: https://bit.ly/4xxpZSV

Need a bit more support? Check out our other resources on the topic.

Which Evaluation Model is Right for You? ➡️ https://bit.ly/4ft0Q3Y
Developing a Clear Scope of Work ➡️ https://bit.ly/4xFQGVM

Two site visits, one shared commitment to the community. Our team was recently in the field alongside two of our partner organizations through Thriving Mind South Florida, seeing firsthand how our data and evaluation work supports real programs on the ground.

At Citrus Health Network, Inc., participants worked through an obstacle course while wearing goggles that simulate alcohol impairment at a blood alcohol concentration of about 0.08 to 0.15.

In Hialeah, Senior Research Associate Jack Vertovec joined the Hialeah Community Coalition for a photovoice site visit, observing how community voice gets captured through image and story.

Thank you to Citrus Health Network and the Hialeah Community Coalition for welcoming us into this work!

A strong evaluation partner should feel less like a vendor and more like part of the team.

BSRI's new Evaluation Firm Support Guidance Document helps nonprofit and social impact organizations decide whether a full-service evaluation firm is the right fit and how to set that partnership up for success from day one.

The guide breaks down how this model differs from hiring individual consultants or building capacity in-house, along with the real benefits and tradeoffs involved. Consistent methods, a unified analytical voice and reduced administrative burden are weighed against higher costs, the need for early alignment and the risk of becoming overly dependent on an outside partner.

It also walks organizations through readiness, budgeting, vetting firms, scoping the work, onboarding, managing the relationship and closing out an engagement in a way that preserves knowledge and strengthens internal capacity.

This resource is especially useful for organizations weighing a full-service firm, managing multi-funder evaluation needs or preparing to write an RFP.

A key takeaway? A well-structured partnership can push an organization’s evaluation beyond compliance and into real strategic learning.

👉Read Here: https://bit.ly/4z1t5Qw

❓Not sure if working with a full service evaluation firm is the right approach for your organization? Take our quiz here: https://bit.ly/4xBTuTp

How is it already August?! ☀️ Our 2026 Summer Wellness Challenges are entering their final stretch and the team has been making the most of every week!

There have been creative interpretations, unexpected favorites, plenty of photos, and a little friendly accountability along the way. Wellness isn’t one-size-fits-all, and these moments are a reminder that taking care of ourselves can be simple, personal, creative and fun. 💛

We have a few more challenges to go before we close out the summer, and we can’t wait to see what the team finishes strong with.

Stay tuned for the summer recap! What’s one thing you’ve done for yourself this summer? 🌴