Evaluation Circle Member: Researchers, Analysts, Pattern Seekers

About the Role

VillageCo is seeking curious and insightful volunteers to join our Evaluation Circle, a sub-circle of the Mission Circle. The Evaluation Circle serves as the organization's primary feedback loop, turning real-world experiences and data into valuable insights that help us learn and grow. As a circle member, you will play a key role in ensuring that our programs and tools effectively serve our community and advance our mission.

Since the circle is currently in a discovery phase to identify broader organizational needs, this is an exciting opportunity to help build a circle's foundational framework from the ground up.

Watch this video to hear from current Evaluation Circle members about their work.

Key Responsibilities

In this role, you will collaborate with the team to manage various aspects of VillageCo’s evaluation initiatives:

• Program & Platform Assessment: Conduct comprehensive evaluations of the Village Growing Cohort and its associated platforms.
• Community Experience Review: Evaluate the operational journey of established Villages and the lived experiences of their leaders.
• Cross-Circle Consultation: Provide strategic guidance to other organizational circles that wish to develop and conduct their own independent evaluation projects.
• Active Circle Collaboration: Attend regular, twice-monthly circle meetings to collaborate with peers and support the collective success of the Village model.
• Foundational Growth: Remain open to holding dedicated leadership or functional project lead roles (such as Leader, Facilitator, or Administrator) as the circle expands.

Desired Qualities & Expertise

We are looking for individuals who are passionate about learning and possess the following qualities:

• A strong desire to help VillageCo evolve by identifying what is working well and what requires adjustment.
• Comfort with listening to community participants and asking thoughtful questions to understand their lived experiences.
• An interest in gaining hands-on experience with evaluation methodology or user research.
• An interest in identifying meaningful patterns, themes, and "lessons learned" from tools like surveys, interviews, or focus groups.
• The ability to synthesize findings and help summarize them into short briefs or presentations for other internal circles.
• Strong collaborative skills to support the overarching health and success of the Village model.
• A commitment to shared organizational decision-making.

Time & Schedule Expectations

• Meeting Schedule: Able to regularly attend twice-monthly circle meetings, currently scheduled for every other Friday at 4:00 PM (note: this time may change based on overall member availability).
• Independent Contribution: Capacity to dedicate approximately 2–4 hours per month outside of regular meetings to support active evaluations, such as drafting survey questions, conducting participant interviews, or reviewing data feedback.

Why Join the Evaluation Circle?

Members of this circle have a unique opportunity to witness the direct impact of VillageCo’s mission. By actively gathering and sharing the unique stories of our leads and members, your voice will ensure that our organization remains connected, adaptive, and highly responsive to the people it serves.

Steps to Become a Volunteer

Ready to make an impact? Joining the VillageCo team involves a simple three-step pathway:

1. Orientation: Attend a Volunteer Orientation to meet some of our team members, learn more about VillageCo, and see if this opportunity feels like a good fit for you.
2. Visit a Circle: Observe a Circle meeting as a visitor to get a feel for how we organize and work together. If you want to continue, attend a second Circle meeting as a full participant and join as a Member.
3. Onboarding: Once you have joined a Circle, you'll have a 1:1 onboarding meeting with a volunteer manager to set you up on our software and answer any questions you may have.

For more details, full event schedules, and to get started, visit villageco.org/volunteer.