Challenge:

From 2021 to 2024, the University of San Diego's Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice (Kroc IPJ) operated under a defined organizational strategy. As the Institute approached a pivotal moment — evaluating its positioning within the academic sphere and its surrounding communities — leadership engaged Hummingbird Strategies to conduct a comprehensive organizational evaluation. The purpose of the evaluation was to document outcomes against the 2021–2024 strategy, assess institutional strengths, surface opportunities for growth, and deliver actionable recommendations to inform strategic planning for 2025 and beyond.

Approach

Hummingbird Strategies deployed a rigorous mixed-methods approach grounded in both qualitative and quantitative data. The assessment incorporated:

• Anonymous surveys and in-depth, semi-structured interviews with more than 30 stakeholders — including Kroc IPJ staff, Kroc School faculty, university leadership, external partners, current and former fellows, and members of the Kroc School Board of Advisors.

• Systematic qualitative coding and analysis using a framework aligned with four core evaluation dimensions.

• A comprehensive final report documenting outcomes, progress against desired results, and opportunities to strengthen each program area.

• A strategic plan briefing with recommendations for a future planning approach and refined performance indicators that more appropriately reflected programmatic impact.

• A facilitated all-staff learning session to surface organizational insights, build shared understanding, and ensure diverse perspectives were reflected in the final findings.

Results

• Validated Institutional Strengths and Market Positioning with funders, external stakeholders, and partners. 

• Identified opportunities to strengthen strategic alignment across the Institution, in addition to areas for growing alignment between the Institute and the University.

• Identified pathways to deepen academic integration and incentives among faculty, student interest, fellowship models, joint grants.

• Provided a forward-looking set of recommendations to support strategic decision- making across five domains, including fundraising, visibility, and positioning.

A Comprehensive Evaluation Report with Actionable Findings

Hummingbird Strategies delivered a full evaluation report documenting Kroc IPJ’s progress and impact against its 2021–2024 strategy. The report synthesized stakeholder perspectives into a clear articulation of institutional strengths. The report documented areas of demonstrated strength and momentum, alongside high-level, forward-looking findings to orient leadership toward their next strategic chapter.

Pinpointed Structural Dynamics Inherent to Complex Institutions

A key contribution of the evaluation was naming and contextualizing the coordination challenges that commonly arise in multi-unit academic institutions. Operating at the intersection of an institute and a professional school, Kroc IPJ navigated the inherent complexity of institutional segmentation — where distinct teams, reporting structures, and priorities can limit integration across an otherwise aligned organization. The report pinpointed where these dynamics were creating friction and identified natural pressure points that a clear strategic framework could address.

Facilitated a Learning Session to Share Insights and Advance Solutions

To bring the findings to life and create space for organizational reflection, Hummingbird Strategies facilitated an all-staff learning session presenting the evaluation’s key insights. The session moved beyond report delivery — walking the team through findings in depth, welcoming clarifying questions, and actively advising leadership as they worked through implications and began exploring potential paths forward. This collaborative approach ensured the evaluation served not just as a retrospective, but as a foundation for strategic decision-making.

Key Takeaway:

As the organization navigated a significant leadership transition, the evaluation served as a grounding document, giving the incoming Executive Director and their team a shared understanding of where the Institute stood and what it most needed to effectively move forward.