Who all gone be there? Engaging Providers as a Critical First Step in Participatory Evaluation

This presentation reframes the recruitment of providers who implement services as a critical, strategic entry point for equity-centered evaluation. Recruitment is more than just logistics; it requires providing an opportunity for potential providers to find alignment with new/expanded services, building relationships between providers, funders, and evaluators, and honoring providers’ capacity. A familiar question that arises in Black communities in America is “Who all gone be there?” The question is a litmus test for safety, belonging, and whether the space is worth showing up for. Through a review of recruitment and adoption literature and grounded examples from practice, we will examine how assessments of fitness during recruitment can facilitate or hinder participatory approaches. The presentation asks evaluators to consider organizational readiness not as barriers, but as clues about an organization’s ability to support the co-creation of evidence-based practices.