Let’s ask better questions to make a greater social impact.

Leonard Research & Evaluation partners with foundations and nonprofits to understand their impact and inform next steps. We use human-centered research and evaluation tools to explore what works, celebrate progress and support organizational learning and growth–together.

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Kim Leonard resting on the floor with her computer on a nearby chair

Understanding your impact
is a daunting task.

Program evaluation can (and has) been an unpleasant experience for many and used as a tool to control, extract, and prevent the flow of information or resources.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

I’m determined to reclaim the tools of research and evaluation to advance equity and support people and programs making a positive social impact.

In my work, I focus on getting to know people and their programs so that I can understand what information you need to make your next decision or explain the value of your work to others.  I’m committed to bringing respect and joy into the process, so that it becomes as valuable as any report we produce.

This is human-centered and equity-driven research & evaluation.

Services

Program Evaluation

Through equity-driven and human-centered program evaluation, we can understand what is working and what isn’t and find a better way forward. My work is grounded in the Equitable Evaluation Framework (TM), using evaluation to advance equity, honor how we got here, and incorporate multiple ways of knowing and thinking. Just as every program is different, each evaluation should be uniquely tailored to history, context, and center the voices of those the program serves. While I have experience with a multitude of methods, this human-centered approach remains consistent.

Program Evaluation Services

Survey Design

I have special expertise in survey design–and I even wrote a book about it (proud nerd moment)! Through customized survey design, training and coaching, I build (and help others build) surveys that meet important information needs while making sure respondents feel heard and understood.

Let’s make surveys feel more like conversations than questionnaires, and gain more trustworthy, useful information as a result.

Survey-Design Services

What Clients Say

I have had the opportunity and pleasure of working with Kim for 9 years now and she has been a true ally to us, Latinx and multiracial identifying colleagues. We treasure her for her capability to hold large evaluation endeavors – from conceptualizing to implementation and her veritable dedication to fairness in process and just representation of data. You are in good hands.
Nelda Reyes, Founder/Member, AB Cultural Drivers
Nelda Reyes
Founder/Member, AB Cultural Drivers
Kim is the kind of thought-partner you dream of when you’re working in philanthropy and trying to deepen your approach to equitable evaluation. She understands the sector, is committed to her communities, and embraces challenging considerations and situations with great care and openness.
Kate Szczerbacki
Kate Szczerbacki
Director of Learning, Evaluation, and Capacity Building, Hartford Foundation for Public Giving
Kim Leonard is one of my favourite people to work with in the foundation sector. She is a highly-experienced researcher and evaluator, has a keen understanding of the nonprofit sector, amazing people skills, and is a joy to work with
Kylie Hutchinson, Community Solutions
Kylie Hutchinson
Community Solutions

Who I Am & How I Work

I’m a researcher, evaluator, facilitator, collaborator, and communicator with over 15 years of experience in program evaluation and improvement, most recently within philanthropy. I’m also a practitioner and champion of the Equitable Evaluation Framework (TM).


In every project, I start with curiosity and work to deeply understand the people and context, facilitating collective learning while promoting equity and justice. Evaluators must work to minimize and repair harm whenever possible, and I strive to create research and evaluation activities that are rewarding and healing experiences for all. I know that when people are seen, heard, understood and trusted, our collective expertise leads to better decisions and more humane programs and systems. Creating this space for connection is vital to making our communities just and equitable.

Learn More About Kim…
Kim Leonard sitting behind her computer smiling

My values are front and center in my work.

I am not a neutral party — I’m your thought partner and advocate.

I want programs like yours to succeed in improving the systems and conditions in which we live and work. I want to celebrate your progress and successes both big and small. I also ask hard questions and set high expectations because people deserve programs and systems that help them thrive.

These values help me contribute to an equitable, just world. The pursuit of equity and justice are my “why” — the reason I do this work and in the way that I do it.

Authenticity

Being human is a messy experience for all of us– and it’s a path to true connection and understanding. Let’s embrace it.

Community, not competition

I believe that resources are plentiful and that we can do more together than alone.

Creativity & adaptability

Creative thinking is necessary to do things differently. I assume situations, contexts and needs will evolve and change.

Learning & curiosity

Learning and curiosity are core to my practice. I love when questions result in more –deeper, bigger, juicier– questions.

Future-facing

I want to focus on what is possible, and spend my time imagining our way to a better future.

Examples of my work

The Oregon Child Care Alliance is a shared services alliance, pooling resources and supporting child care providers to strengthen and sustain their businesses through coaching, training, and administrative resources. The Alliance evaluation, which is ongoing, first launched in 2021 via a partnership between Leonard Research & Evaluation and AB Cultural Drivers. The evaluation aims to advance equity for child care providers and the families they serve by supporting learning and improvement related to implementation of the Alliance model. The evaluation also seeks to understand the Alliance’s impact on participating child care businesses and the broader child care ecosystem. More information, including evaluation results and reporting, can be found on the Oregon Child Care Alliance website (opens in a new browser tab).

Sometimes, evaluators or nonprofits need support related to a survey they are using or are developing, asking questions like: How can my survey reflect my organization’s values? How can I make sure people will respond to my survey? What do I do with all of this survey data? I provide expert review, technical assistance, coaching or other forms of survey guidance.

For example, in 2024 I reviewed and helped revise a survey of internal agency staff for a large nonprofit organization interested in learning about the experiences of their staff with regard to equity.

I also reviewed and helped revise a survey of state agencies about their technical practices and policies as part of an effort to understand ‘best practices’ around a specific service.

In scenarios, I provided coaching regarding survey implementation, analysis and the communication of findings.

Leonard Research & Evaluation is collaborating with the Early Childhood Equity Collaborative, AB Cultural Drivers, and the Coalition of Communities of Color to conduct research about the barriers and opportunities experienced by the early learning and care workforce, in response to Oregon HB 2991 (2023).

This is a highly collaborative project; I supported all phases of the project and played a leadership role with the secondary research phase, examining existing research to ensure that new data collection built on existing knowledge.

The final report will be available in early 2025.

Leonard Research & Evaluation, with support from Madeline Brandt and graduate student Chelsea Ruder, is leading a ripple effects mapping project to explore the impacts of a decade-long, collaborative grantwriting effort in the Columbia River Gorge. This evaluation project is process-focused, qualitative, and oriented toward participant voice, incorporating storytelling and community building through a series of workshops and sense-making sessions.

As the Collective Impact Health Specialist team continues to grow their work by adapting its model on Oregon’s North Coast, we’ve been invited to work alongside them, infusing evaluative and reflective practices into implementation of the model.

This project will transition officially to The Camassia Group (opens in a new tab) in 2025.

From 2014 – 2019, Oregon Community Foundation’s Studio to School Initiative supported 18 arts education projects across Oregon, each a collaboration between an arts organization and a school or school district. As a creative endeavor that engaged well over 100 artists and offered both grant funding and a learning community, the Initiative was an incredible opportunity to play with more creative approaches to evaluation as well.

I led the design and implementation of a developmental, principles-focused evaluation of the Initiative. Drawing Lessons from Studio to School (opens in a new tab) showcases much of what we learned together through the Initiative and its evaluation.

Insights & Ideas

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Let’s explore what we can do TOGETHER

Schedule a call to learn more about how I can help you ask
better questions and make a bigger impact.

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