Practical guidance to assess and strengthen DEI interventions in municipal organisations
This toolbox provides municipalities with a structured yet practical approach to evaluating Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) interventions as part of broader institutional change. Developed within the DiGiN project, it supports municipal teams in moving beyond implementation towards systematic reflection, learning and improvement, helping them understand whether and how DEI actions are contributing to meaningful and sustainable change.
Evaluation toolbox
The purpose of the Evaluation Toolbox is to support municipal professionals, DEI practitioners and internal change agents in designing and using evaluation action plans tailored to their organisational context. It guides users in aligning interventions with a clear DEI vision, clarifying how actions are expected to lead to change through a Theory of Change, and selecting appropriate indicators, methods and responsibilities for monitoring and evaluation. The toolbox combines practical guidance with theoretical grounding and is complemented by ready-to-use supporting materials, including an Evaluation Action Plan template and a step-by-step guide and checklist, enabling municipalities to generate evidence, reflect on outcomes and continuously strengthen DEI practice.
Reference: Zbeidy, D., & Çelik, S. (2026). DiGiN deliverable 6.2: Evaluation toolbox. Leiden University of Applied Sciences.
Evaluation Toolbox document
A comprehensive guide structured in two chapters. The first chapter provides a step-by-step approach to building an evaluation action plan, guiding users from aligning a DEI vision with an intervention, to clarifying expected change through a Theory of Change and defining indicators, methods and responsibilities. The second chapter offers the theoretical foundations underpinning the toolbox, including key concepts in evaluation, types of evaluation, Theory of Change, organisational context, intersectionality and unintended consequences.
Download the document
Annex I – Evaluation Action Plan Template (Excel)
A ready-to-use template that translates the toolbox steps into a practical working document. It supports municipal teams in structuring their evaluation plan before implementation and in systematically monitoring progress and outcomes during and after the intervention.
Download Annex I
Annex II – Step-by-step guide and checklist
A concise, user-friendly guide summarising the key steps of the evaluation process. It serves as a practical checklist that can be used alongside the Excel template to ensure coherence, clarity and completeness.
Download Annex II
Together, these elements support municipalities in embedding evaluation into DEI practice not as a one-off exercise, but as a continuous learning process that informs decision-making, strengthens accountability and supports sustainable institutional change.
