We use the American Evaluation Association’s Guiding Principles for Evaluators to help us act with the utmost respect:

Evaluators respect the security, dignity and self-worth of respondents, program participants, clients, and other evaluation stakeholders.

1. Evaluators should seek a comprehensive understanding of the important contextual elements of the evaluation.
2. Evaluators should abide by current professional ethics, standards, and regulations regarding risks, harms, and burdens that might befall those participating in the evaluation; regarding informed consent for participation in evaluation; and regarding informing participants and clients about the scope and limits of confidentiality.
3. Justified negative or critical conclusions from an evaluation must be explicitly stated and evaluations sometimes produce results that harm client or stakeholder interests; our evaluators seek to maximize the benefits and reduce any unnecessary harms that might occur, provided the integrity of the evaluation findings is not compromised.
4. Knowing that evaluations may negatively affect the interests of some stakeholders, evaluators should conduct the evaluation and communicate its results in a way that clearly respects the stakeholders' dignity and self-worth.
5. Where feasible, evaluators should attempt to foster social equity in evaluation, so that those who give to the evaluation may benefit in return. For example, evaluators should seek to ensure that those who bear the burdens of contributing data and incurring any risks do so willingly.

We strive to minimize our impact on the environment by:

1. using paper products with a high percentage of recycled content;
2. re-using extra paper for rough notes and printing draft documents;
3. recycling used paper (sensitive documents are first shredded);
4. sharing documents electronically when possible;
5. ensuring all new electrical equipment is Energy Star compliant;
6. meeting remotely when possible to avoid the impact of travel on the environment; and
7. enabling our staff to work remotely while maintaining security and quality.

We find that technology allows us to work efficiently, reduce our environmental impact, and be responsive to the needs of our clients and the people they serve. We strive to use technology to support our work by:

1. offering technological alternatives during data collection, such as web- and email-based surveys and chat-based focus groups;
2. using respected, established tools for analysis to ensure results are valid and reliable;
3. use mobile applications to reach respondents such as text polls and response clickers; and
4. host meetings electronically when appropriate.