Although there are many benefits to participatory evaluation, its disadvantages include the following:

• Participants may disagree about the distribution of labor. It is sometimes difficult to work out a balance of responsibilities that everyone finds comfortable, so try to be clear at the outset about who will be doing what.

• You may encounter resistance from program staff. They may feel that they have too much to do already and that evaluation is not part of their job. To increase buy-in, explain the importance of the evaluation and how their involvement will contribute to its success.

• Collaboration takes time. However, the time spent meeting, consulting, and sharing points of view will result in a more relevant and useful evaluation.

• The potential for bias may be increased. Think critically about who should and should not carry out specific evaluation tasks. For example, a school administrator should not interview teachers about how well they implemented a prevention program. The teachers are more likely to be comfortable and candid discussing their implementation of program activities with an evaluator.

• It may be more difficult to locate an appropriate evaluator. Not all evaluators are committed to, or even interested in, collaborating with program staff and stakeholders. If you would like to undertake a participatory evaluation of your program, make sure to discuss this approach with candidates during the screening process. The topic of locating and hiring an evaluator will be covered in greater detail on Day 3.