Moving beyond extractive measurement: Introducing the Regenerative Evaluation Living Paper

Written by

Jannik Kaiser

February 27, 2026

Impact

***Join the Regenerative Evaluation Living Paper launch on March 24th 3pm CET***

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To foster social or environmental change today means navigating a gap between two realities.

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One is the reality of reporting: the necessary demand for accountability, data-driven decision-making, and proof of impact. The other is the reality of the planet: a desperate call for regeneration, for working with complexity, and for acknowledging the interconnectedness of all life.

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For too long, evaluation has forced us to choose between the two. Traditional evaluation often functions as an extractive exercise: mining data to feed upward reporting structures and counting the "fruits" of a project while ignoring the health of the "soil" that sustains them.

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We believe it is time to bridge this gap.

Enter Regenerative Evaluation

Over the past 2.5 years, alongside an incredible community of practice, we have been exploring a different approach. What if evaluation was an intervention in itself? An intervention that, at its core, fosters wellbeing, addresses power imbalances and builds empathy?

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Regenerative Evaluation is an evolving practice that embraces rigorous evidence while actively nourishing the systems it assesses. It holds two guiding questions simultaneously:

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"How can measurement contribute to better decision-making and learning?"
"How can the process of evaluation itself contribute to our mutual flourishing?"

More resources

Impact

Moving beyond extractive measurement: Introducing the Regenerative Evaluation Living Paper

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Practice-Based Evidence: An open invitation to research partners

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M&E in Complexity: Presenting a methodology for making credible claims

Introducing the Living Paper

Today, we are thrilled to introduce the Regenerative Evaluation Living Paper.

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We deliberately call it a "Living Paper" because we see it as a snapshot of an evolving practice, born from the dialogues, tensions, and collective inquiry of our Regenerative Evaluation Community of Practice.

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Inside the paper, we bridge the gap between philosophy and fieldwork by outlining:

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The 3 Essential Strands: The existing evaluation lineages (systemic, power-conscious, and ecological) woven into this practice.
The 9 Guiding Principles: The internal values that orient our judgment and align our work with living systems.
The 7 Core Practices: A three-phased cycle translating these principles into tangible evidence and action.
Case studies, frameworks and methods that make Regenerative Evaluation tangible.

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👉 Access the 3-page short version of the Living Paper.

An Invitation to Celebrate and Co-Create

This paper is an open invitation. Whether you are a program manager, a funder, an evaluator, or a community organizer, if you have been feeling the friction of traditional measurement, this space is for you.

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We would be honored if you joined us for the official virtual launch event. We will introduce the core concepts, share stories from the field, and discuss the future pathways for this work.

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When: March 24th, 2026 | 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM CET

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Read more and register here: https://eveeno.com/regenerative-evaluation-living-paper

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Let’s stop just counting the fruits, and start tending to the soil. We can't wait to see you there.

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About the author

Co-Founder & CEO. Lead of Regenerative Measurement & Evaluation, business development & partnerships. Facilitation of peer learning in organisations and impact evaluation processes. Working languages: English & German.