Let’s do better research together.

Research is powerful. But it doesn’t have to be cold, impersonal, or wildly confusing. It can be simple, breezy, and, dare I say … fun. Research equips you with better information to help create the good you want to see in the world. And it’s a team sport. You don’t have to figure it out alone.

Imagine if you could:

01

Make informed decisions.

02

Confidently tell your story.

03

Build trust with communities.

04

Deepen your social impact.

05

Continuously improve.

With good research, you can.

While research looks different for each and every one of my clients, there are three not-so-secret ingredients. If you want your business, organization, program, idea, etc., to succeed, you must invest in these three things. These three things will change your life.  Not only will they change how you think about evaluating your work (you know, deciding if you are doing a good job or not and how you can improve), but they will also change how you think about marketing and sharing your work with others.


01

Logic Model

How do you describe the work you do to create change in the world?


02

Evaluation Plan

Does your idea make a difference in the world, and how could you make it better?


03

Data Collection Tools

What information do you need to make decisions and tell your story?

Who do I work with?

Nonprofits, start-ups, and entrepreneurs who either don’t have systems in place for ongoing research or who want to take their current systems to the next level.

People and organizations who are on the hook with funders and have been asked (required) to do an evaluation. Maybe they’re excited about it; maybe they aren’t.

Individuals, companies, and organizations who regularly ask questions to collect information (surveys, feedback forms, polls on social media) and want to up their game.

Who I’ve worked with:

4.0

〰️

Center for Curriculum Redesign

〰️

Consortium for Policy Research in Education

〰️

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

〰️

University of Delaware

〰️

Student Achievement Partners

〰️

KickUp

〰️

Louisiana Center for Children's Rights

〰️

GoodBets

〰️

Virgin Unite

〰️

Orleans Parish School Board

〰️

Foundation for California Community Colleges

〰️

St. Patrick’s Episcopal Day School

〰️

NewSchools Venture Fund

〰️

College Beyond

〰️

ImpactEd at the University of Pennsylvania

〰️

New York City Coalition for Teacher Preparation

〰️

Fishtank Learning

〰️

Shining Light

〰️

Operation Spark

〰️

New York City Public Schools Teacher Development Hub

〰️

Capital One

〰️

Center for Architecture and Design

〰️

Social Impact Commons

〰️

Swun Math

〰️

Emma Givens Copywriting

〰️

Maria Tan Business Coaching

〰️

RezlCare

4.0 〰️ Center for Curriculum Redesign 〰️ Consortium for Policy Research in Education 〰️ Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation 〰️ University of Delaware 〰️ Student Achievement Partners 〰️ KickUp 〰️ Louisiana Center for Children's Rights 〰️ GoodBets 〰️ Virgin Unite 〰️ Orleans Parish School Board 〰️ Foundation for California Community Colleges 〰️ St. Patrick’s Episcopal Day School 〰️ NewSchools Venture Fund 〰️ College Beyond 〰️ ImpactEd at the University of Pennsylvania 〰️ New York City Coalition for Teacher Preparation 〰️ Fishtank Learning 〰️ Shining Light 〰️ Operation Spark 〰️ New York City Public Schools Teacher Development Hub 〰️ Capital One 〰️ Center for Architecture and Design 〰️ Social Impact Commons 〰️ Swun Math 〰️ Emma Givens Copywriting 〰️ Maria Tan Business Coaching 〰️ RezlCare

 Frequently Asked Questions

  • Logic models. Theories of Change. Conceptual frameworks. Conceptual models. Perhaps you’ve seen these words in grant applications or articles and asked yourself: What’s the difference? Does it matter? Which one should I use?

    My take is that these are all more or less the same thing. Generally speaking, theories of change tend to be broader and messier, and logic models more actionable and precise. Conceptual lands somewhere in the middle. At the end of the day, all of these things are tools to map out your work - to paint a picture of how you create change in the world, and spell out what that change is!

    Personally, I prefer (and use) logic models because they tend to be more specific and practical.

  • Yes. We all do. Logic models are an incredible tool for 1) telling the story of how you create change in the world and 2) getting clarity on what you need to measure when evaluating your success.

    When you work with me on an evaluation, you start with a logic model. Period. End of sentence.

    You can’t learn whether or not (or how) something works if you don’t first clearly describe how it works. For this reason, they are also often required by funders who want to better understand how your idea works and how you plan on measuring your success.

  • I hear you, and… that means you’d be better off with another research partner, which is totally okay. No hard feelings! I’ve tried starting evaluation plans with logic models built by other consultants and ya’ll it just doesn’t work for me — when we create a logic model together or revise the one you already have, we create a shared understanding of your work that is essential to creating the best evaluation possible. And, you want the best right?

  • I’m definitely a strategy girl. I love working with people on a strong evaluation plan that they can either put into action themselves or use to find a research partner who is a good fit.

    Every year I take on 1-2 full evaluations (including data collection, analysis, and reporting). For those, I bring in a larger team from places like the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Delaware.

  • No, and here’s why — when I work with people on data collection tools, I focus a lot on coaching — I want you to understand how to create an amazing tool so that in the future you don’t even need me. As part of my process, you will have homework (gasp) so if you don’t already have a draft… you will soon!

  • Immediately no. I’m a hands-on, we are in this together, research is a conversation, capacity-building kind of gal. I don’t do “done for you projects” because (1) I think businesses/organizations need to start building this capacity internally. Otherwise, you end up with a one-and-done situation and not a sustainable plan to continue collecting good data; (2) I think your role in research is super important. You are the expert in your organization/business/etc. and have so much value to contribute to this process.

  • Yes, all the time!

  • My smallest engagement is $10,000, and to date, my largest project has been about $270,000.

    Starting October 2023, I’ll be offering my logic model and data collection tools (surveys, specifically) offerings as courses that you can do independently at a lower price point, with payment plans available.

  • It depends on the project! The minimum is typically around 3-months, and right now, I’m finishing up a 4-year project. If someone wants to do an evaluation, I recommend about 9-12-months to prepare, depending on how many data collection tools you need.

  • You can fill out the form at the bottom of the page or send me an email at hello@kirstenleehill.com.

 What clients are saying:

Testimonials

Kirsten brings a balanced perspective that equally centers equity, practicality, and efficacy. She is exactly who we needed to push our data collection systems to a new level. We are so thankful to her and look forward to a continued partnership!

Dani Lindo, Analyst, NewSchools Venture Fund

Feedback is valuable and asking the right questions in the right way is essential. It is so easy to make errors or to put off respondents. Working with Kirsten has made our questionnaire more professional and effective. This is not an area to cut corners. Kirsten is quick to respond and has experience to make our project as good as it can be. I am really pleased with eh ideas and suggestions that Kirsten made. Everyone should get Kirsten's help. Thank you Kirsten

Simon Grindrod, Carina Sciences, United Kingdom

Kirsten had an incredible impact on the team, program, and culture at 4.0. … I'm deeply grateful for the level of care and investment that she showed at every turn. It is truly rare to find a strategic M&E partner like Kirsten who brings deep technical expertise as well as genuine openness to gracefully push the boundaries of traditional research paradigms. Thanks to Kirsten, 4.0 has a drastically different brand and reputation around right-sized research and rigorous investment.

Hassan Hassan, CEO, 4.0

We engaged Kirsten to help us reimagine how we write surveys for families. In just an hour Kirsten was able to give us general insights to surveying as well as targeted insights based on our unique needs and goals. By having her expertise behind us we were able to more effectively learn from families through revisions to the way we ask, the style of question, the behind the scenes set-up, and the follow through with families. …She was a delight to work with, has deep knowledge that she can disseminate with clarity and made us feel confident in our work.

Elizabeth Markowitz, Director of Innovation in Teaching and Learning & Design Thinking Specialist, St. Patrick’s Episcopal Day School

Being coached by Kirsten in measurement was always a conversation about the humans, not numbers. Kirsten doesn't have a google drive of metrics she assigns you—she encouraged me to use measurement that made sense to tell my story whether through video, audio, observation, or survey. Through our coaching I also learned how to communicate this story to others with numbers that were more honest and more human.

Diana Turner, Co-Founder, Be Loud Studios

Kirsten impressed everyone on my team. As an entrepreneur who consistently brings in different experts to help optimize the different parts of my business, it is not uncommon for me to find people who excel in what they do. But Kirsten's caliber was extraordinary - my team and I didn't feel the need to review the notes multiple times or watch the video again and again to implement her suggestions. She was able to keep things pretty simple and straightforward. And as someone who values time over money, I truly appreciate how Kirsten didn't waste my time, and that of my team's.

Maria Kathlyn Tan, Owner, Maria Tan Coaching and Consulting

As an early-stage entrepreneur I had a tendency to attract and therefore surround myself with like-minded people who easily understood the demand and efficacy of my program. Getting 1:1 measurement coaching with Kirsten gave me very specific tools, templates and ideas to design an efficacy system for my program, which could be easily understood by people outside this bubble, including Frolific's early adopters. Furthermore, these sessions helped me not only understand how crucial measurements were to the success of my venture but also some of the fundamentals of how to collect the right metrics in the future.

Alpana Shitolé, Founder, Frolific Kids

Kirsten, your new go-to researcher.

I didn’t become a researcher because I loved research. On the contrary, I kind of hated it. To 22-year-old Kirsten, research felt cold and impersonal, yet my experiences in the New Orleans Recovery School District had taught me that it was wildly powerful.

So, I did what any idealistic youth who wants to shake up the status quo and thinks knowledge is the answer would do and earned my Ph.D. (at the University of Pennsylvania - go Quakers!). I wanted to master the rules of research so I could use them for good. And I did.