Biggest Challenges Faced by an Impact and Evaluation Consultant as an Independent Consultant
Rakhee's biggest challenge as an independent Impact & Evaluation Consultant is balancing workload, admitting "saying yes to everything," while the nonprofit sector's slow pace of change and difficulty defining success present additional hurdles; the consultant finds that "getting aligned on those outcomes is hard," particularly when measuring success requires moving beyond simple quantitative metrics.
Project Management, Data Analysis, Problem-Solving, Communication, Overcoming Challenges
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Rakhee Patel
Impact & Evaluation Consultant
Independent Consultant
Wellesley College (studied abroad for 1 semester at University College London)
UCLA | M.S. and Ph.D. in Statistics (2011)
Mathematics, Data Science, Statistics
Consulting & Related Professional Services, Nonprofit, Foundations & Grantmaking
Consulting
Honors Student, Student Athlete
Video Highlights
1. Time Management and Work-Life Balance: The consultant highlights the difficulty of managing workload and setting boundaries when working independently, emphasizing the importance of carefully considering capacity and avoiding overcommitment.
2. Long-Term Vision and Patience: The consultant notes that achieving meaningful change in the non-profit sector takes time and collaboration, requiring patience and understanding from all stakeholders.
3. Defining and Measuring Success: The consultant points out the challenges in defining and measuring success in social impact work, particularly in education, where success may encompass qualitative factors beyond easily quantifiable metrics like graduation rates. Data collection can also be difficult and may often rely on qualitative, anecdotal information rather than purely numerical results.
Transcript
What is your biggest challenge in your current role?
For me, it's saying yes to everything and making sure I have enough time for it. I take on a lot, and while it's exciting to help organizations, friends, and colleagues, that's a challenge when you work for yourself.
You don't have set boundaries, and there's a lot of flexibility. But with that comes the risk of taking on too much. I've definitely had periods where I've done more than I could handle, but the nice thing is I am in control of that.
In terms of the actual work, the biggest challenge in the nonprofit sector is that change takes a long time. Transformational and systemic change for communities requires patience.
Sometimes it's hard when people feel urgency, and there is urgency. We want students to have better outcomes now, but sometimes it takes thoughtfulness and collaboration to develop strong programs or curricula before rolling them out.
I think that's a big challenge, not only for me wishing to see the impact sooner, but also for clients. They can get frustrated when they can't immediately see the impact or evaluate their work. Sometimes the answer isn't a simple number; it takes time.
In social impact work, the desired outcome isn't always a quantifiable number. When I worked in the private sector, success was generally measured by revenue and profits.
In social impact and education, it's hard to define success. Some equate it with high graduation rates and college enrollment. But success can also mean being able to support your family, feeling happy, or having confidence and opportunities.
Getting aligned on these outcomes and then collecting the necessary data is really difficult. Often, it's just stories and anecdotes. I'd say those are the biggest challenges.