The What and How: Services and Specialities
Organizations come to Upstream at different points in their learning journey. Some need expert evaluation paired with strategic guidance to turn insights into action. Others are ready to strengthen their internal evaluation and measurement capabilities. Wherever you're starting from, Upstream designs an approach that meets you where you are.
Upstream designs research and evaluation approaches grounded in the principle that all voices matter. Using mixed methods and participatory practices, Upstream generates insights that reflect the full complexity and nuance of your work.
Upstream offers evaluation tailored to where you are: formative to strengthen programs during development, summative to assess outcomes and impact, and developmental to provide real-time learning for complex, evolving initiatives. Quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis are designed to match your learning questions and priorities.
Learning is lifted up continuously, not just at the end of the evaluation. Upstream shares findings at key junctures to support ongoing reflection and decision-making as the work evolves. The result is evaluation that doesn't just measure change—it fuels it.
Research and Evaluation
Upstream partners with organizations to strengthen their capacity for learning, evaluation, and measurement—whether you're establishing foundational practices or enhancing existing systems. From setting up data collection processes to building analysis skills, Upstream provides expertise and guidance tailored to your team's readiness and goals.
Through interactive training sessions, hands-on technical support, and embedded advising, Upstream helps teams develop confidence in collecting, analyzing, and applying data. Sessions range from introductory workshops on evaluation fundamentals to advanced training in specific methodologies or tools.
The goal is developing internal expertise and lasting capability that enables your organization to generate and use insights confidently and independently, sustaining a learning culture that grows with you.
Capacity Building
Communications and Learning Products
Upstream doesn't just deliver findings—we make them usable. Through data visualizations, case studies, photo and video narratives, slide decks, databooks, and reports, Upstream creates communication materials that make complex information accessible and engaging for diverse audiences. These materials become tools for action, not artifacts that sit on a shelf.
To further bring learning to life, Upstream facilitates collaborative sense-making sessions where stakeholders reflect on findings together, explore implications, and identify next steps. This combination of clear visuals, compelling storytelling, and skillful facilitation creates momentum—moving teams from “what did we learn?” to “what do we do next?”
To see examples of Upstream's work in action, visit LinkedIn or get in touch through the contact form.