Seeking an experienced, dynamic, engaging consultant to evaluate our work and/or help us develop a new strategic plan
The Dangerous Speech Project (DSP) is an independent research team that works to counter dangerous speech and the violence it can catalyze, through original ideas, research and policy work. Dangerous speech is “any form of expression (speech, text, or images) that can increase the risk that its audience will condone or participate in violence against members of another group.” After a decade of research and publications, our work is quite well known and many people rely on it, but we want to know more about them and the impact we’re having, and use that information to develop a strategic plan for the coming years.
That’s why we need you.
What we need in an evaluation
We want to emerge from the evaluation process with the following:
- A good idea of the impact our work has had on stakeholders in multiple countries including academic researchers, activists, civil society organizations, governments, and staff at technology companies
- A third-party perspective on how we operate and suggestions for improvement, with a particular focus on evaluating and sharing feedback on the Executive Director
- Recommendations on how to increase our constructive impact, including reaching new or underserved audiences
- Two reports: a detailed one for internal use, and a higher-level summary for sharing with funders and other stakeholders.
The DSP has existed since 2010; we expect the evaluator to familiarize themself with our work from inception, but to focus on work since 2017 when attempting to gauge impact on stakeholders. We expect the evaluation to be informed by the goals and benchmarks set forth in our current strategic plan, but don’t expect those benchmarks to be a main feature of the final reports.
We anticipate that the evaluation will involve extensive conversations, interviews, and/or surveys with our staff and a variety of stakeholders including funders, board members, colleagues, people with whom we’ve collaborated, others who have cited or made use of our work in some way (especially those who we haven’t worked with directly), people in related fields who are familiar with our work but have not cited it, tech company staff, representatives of governments and international organizations, members of coalitions we participate in, participants in our events, and research subjects. We’re relying on your expertise to figure out how many people to engage with, which ones, and through what methods. If appropriate, we can arrange or fund stipends or thank-you gifts for people who participate.
What we need in a strategic plan
Informed by the results of the evaluation, we want a strategic plan that:
- Provides a pathway for growth and improvement over the next three years, and at least general direction for two years after that (five years total) so we can plan medium- and long-term fundraising and development efforts
- Establishes clear goals against which we can measure progress, approached with a diversity, equity, and inclusion lens
- Identifies areas of work we wish to focus on and criteria for deciding whether to pursue new projects, partnerships, collaborations, and funding opportunities
- Highlights opportunities for capacity building including new hires, professional development, new contract opportunities, and investments in or changes to systems and processes
About you
You’re a seasoned professional who’s experienced with one or more of the fields our work is connected to (e.g. atrocity prevention, peacebuilding, internet governance and moderation) and has worked with small teams before. You’re more artisanal than corporate, and have experience engaging with a wide variety of stakeholders like those outlined in this document. You love food (it’s one of our core values).
You can be based anywhere. Our team is in Washington, DC and Mexico City so we’ll need you to be available for meetings between 10am-5pm Eastern time (UTC-4). We also expect to meet with you in person in Washington at least once or twice.
Budget
Up to $50,000.
Timeline
We would ideally like to identify a contractor by the end of 2021 who can start in January 2022, but can be flexible.
Expressions of Interest
If you think you’d be a good fit for this project, reach out to our Director of Operations at [email protected] or set up a phone call at https://calendly.com/toneiglavinic/.
COVID-19 Policy
COVID-19 is a serious disease, resulting potentially in illness, hospitalization, and even death. Our first priority is the health and safety of our staff and contractors. As a result, all visitors to our workspaces are required to show proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 upon entry. Please ensure that you have proof available. Additionally, if you will be traveling from outside the Washington, DC area, you will be required to abide by the DSP’s COVID-19 safety protocols for traveling employees and contractors.
We cannot guarantee a COVID-19 free environment or eliminate the chance of infection and the health risks associated with it. By visiting, you assume the risks involved. You may also be required to leave our space if you fail to follow the required health and safety measures.