A Creative Evaluation Firm
What We Do
At Coco Canary, we do evaluation differently
We are cultural workers using evaluation, community engagement, and art to keep organizations grounded in their values and held accountable to their social justice goals.
Always in collaboration with clients and consulting partners, we use arts-based approaches to evaluate programs, organizational development, or community initiatives.
We call this Creative Evaluation.
A photo of a community convening and artist showcase from a Seattle-based Creative Evaluation project
We recognize that each project we do is part of a larger ecosystem that is pushing for systems change, whether that be a grassroots movement, a DEAI initiative at an organization, or a government-funded program.
"What people loved was the art. They were surprised. They have never seen it or heard it. The working group was asking about it, and now people absolutely loved it. It is nice and reflects what the people feel. It was one of those things that was hard to picture, but once they saw it, we now think, 'How did we never do that before?!'"
- A Past Client from Public Health of Seattle & King County (2023)
"I hope future projects always have a community feedback session. That was the best part. Even if it was hard to hear what they were saying, it was eye-opening. Creating that space for the community where they can tell us what they think. That would be something I want to see in future projects"
- A Past Client from Public Health of Seattle & King County (2023)
"The history, insights, and tools we gained yesterday from Donte and Molly's [Breaking the Cycle of White Supremacy Culture] workshop will help us all on that continuous journey."
- A Current Client from Habitat for Humanity — Twin Cities (2023)
"Molly performed outstanding work by helping us to identify, evaluate, and better understand [a particular] demographic and what our educational gaps were. But more importantly, we learned a great deal from Molly by having difficult conversations about the historical audience of land grant universities and how to approach these topics in a more inclusive manner."
- A Past Client from University of Minnesota Department of Forest Resources (2022)
A visualization of the Creative Evaluation & Engagement Approach by Nora Murphy Johnson & A. Rafael Johnson. Drawn by Molly C. O'Connor
Our Process
We use the Creative Evaluation & Engagement Approach (Johnson & Johnson, 2022). It offers a non-linear way to align, learn, adapt, and embody the complexity of data and sense-making. While also promoting equity, trust, healing, and transformative change.
At Coco Canary, we use this approach with our clients to design, measure, and critically engage with their work. And we do this using arts-based methods, principles-based approaches, and community-centric practices.
Our process is intuitive. With any project grounded in equity—and has the outcome for shared liberation—it is necessary to have your heart and mind open to emergent change. To accommodate for emergence, we use guiding principles, which are values written into actionable statements. These principles become the project's North Star, helping us know when we get off track and how to get back on, always grounded in our values and overall goals.
For example, our process almost always has an "Evocative Playback," which is an embodiment technique where data is translated into an artistic performance or exhibition, to allow for deeper meaning making. Getting to that point can take many different shapes and forms, each of which are valid. Because, in the end, our process prioritizes the journey not the outcome.
Interested in learning more about Evocative Playback?
Watch our videos at Coco Canary's Youtube page (in English and Español)
Case Studies
What Does Equitable Contracting Look Like? A Creative Evaluation with Public Health Seattle & King County
June 2022 - May 2023
With Culture Shift Consulting, we used the CE&E framework & arts-based methods, a community planning committee, and local artists to imagine what equitable contracting could look and feel like in Seattle & King County. BIPOC-led community-based organizations came together via facilitated community convenings to share their experiences, write a collective story (vision statement), and have their vision turned into public art pieces. This story became the project team's roadmap to what needs to change from the eyes and ears of their community.
This project was hosted by Culture Shift Consulting, and Coco Canary was the Creative Evaluation subcontractor.
A 3-Year Creative Evaluation & Graphic Cartooning for a Multi-County Habitat for Humanity
Apr 2022 - Present
Coco Canary is partnering with Donte Curtis from Catch Your Dream (CYD) to evaluate organizational knowledge and culture change through a 3-year Breaking the Cycle of White Supremacy Workshop series. We assist in workshop facilitation and data collection. After each workshop, data is compiled, analyzed, and made into a creative report for further discussion during voluntary DEAI meetings. These reports utilize a technique called Graphic Cartooning (as seen in the image above).
This project is hosted by Catch Your Dream Consulting and Molly O'Connor is a Creative Evaluation subcontractor.
Using Creative Evaluation to Align & Strategically Plan a County-Level Healthcare For the Homeless Program
April 2022 - Nov 2022
With Inspire to Change, We used a CE&E Framework and a Delphi Process to collect data from staff, patients, and board members to assist a Healthcare for the Homeless (HCH) program with their 2023 Strategic Plan. Group interviews and Visual Matrix facilitations were used to elicit initial feedback, and findings were shared back to staff and patients via posters posted in clinics and outreach centers. This reporting method was decided because posters could move with mobile clinics. This data was used to plan an all-staff, board, and patient strategic planning retreat in Fall of 2022.
This project was hosted by the Inspire to Change and Molly O'Connor was a part-time Creative Evaluation employee
Trusted By:
Who We Are
Molly C. O'Connor is the founder and principal consultant at Coco Canary. Her specialties are Creative Evaluation & Engagement, principles-based approaches, community engagement, and radical facilitation (self and organizational equity work). She is brought into projects as a collaborative thought partner, creative strategist, and/or facilitator.
She has an M.S. in Natural Resources Science & Management with a minor in Evaluation Studies from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. As well as has a professional background in ecology, youth programs, human services, filmmaking, and museum education.
Molly is descended from strong, resilient, and creative women that came from Ireland, Norway, Finland, and Scotland. Currently, she is based in St. Paul, MN (the unceded lands of the Dakota people).
Fun Facts About Molly
- She is a filmmaker and cartoonist (pen & paper, not so much digital)
- She is a musician and released an EP in 2023 titled, "Coco Canary."
- She has an identical twin sister who lives in Washington, D.C.
- She lives in an intentional community with her partner and friends
- She loves to host gatherings & cook delicious food (predominantly vegetarian/vegan)
Meyers-Briggs: INFP
StrengthsFinder (CliftonStreangths): Empathy | Adaptability | Developer | Positivity | Arranger
Our Consulting Partners
Molly does not work alone. She has a team of talented subcontractors (evaluators, writers, artists, etc.) to call in when needed. See some of our partners below.
Sully Moreno
(she/her/hers)
Community Engagement Specialist
Sully Moreno is the founder and principal consultant at Culture Shift Consulting. She is a multilingual community engagement and communications professional. Her specialty is facilitating conversations, relationship-building, and translating concepts into actionable efforts.
She has an M.A. in Media and Communication Studies from Florida State University.
Sully is based in Seattle, WA (the stolen of the Duwamish, Coast Salish, and many more).
Click here to learn more about Sully and Culture Shift Consulting
Donte Curtis
(he/him/his)
DEAI Facilitator, Trainer, and Dynamic Keynote Speaker
Donte Curtis is the Owner/Leader of Catch Your Dream Consulting where he keynotes, consults with, and trains teams and organizations, nationwide, on leadership development, racial equity, Inclusion, and supports them to create practical change.
Donte currently is the Co-Chair of the Board of Directors at Social Enterprise Alliance Twin Cities and is a member of the program investment committee at Youthprise. Donte brings his 14 years of facilitation and speaking experience with an expectation of getting you energized, you taking practical action and finding hope for a better tomorrow. Probably one of the most energetic people you will ever meet, Donte lives a life that is dedicated to leadership, social justice and liberation and resides in Minnesota with his wife, Rachel and two dogs, King and Moose.
Donte is based in St. Paul, MN (the unceded lands of the Dakota people).
Click here to learn more about Donte and CYD Consulting
Our Guiding Principles
Coco Canary is a principles-driven organization. This means we have guiding principles, which are values translated into actionable statements. They ground our thinking, inform our decision-making, and guide our actions.
Quiet
Strength
Lead from a place of quiet strength. Allow people to more deeply access their own quiet strength.
Gentle
Healing
Offer and hold space for gentle healing grounded in love, trust, and compassion.
Joyful
Connection
Bring people together through creativity, connection, and joy.
Radical
Engagement
Reflect, learn, and meaningfully engage in dismantling harmful systems within ourselves and our communities.
Strive For
Authenticity
Strive to let go of ego and live a life with openness, vulnerability, and authenticity.
Newsletters
Get up to speed with what Coco Canary has been up to by reading our newsletters.
The Coco Canary Newsletter March 2024 Summary: A Grounding, I Am The Yellow Monster, Seeking 2024 Clients, MNEA Outgoing President Letter, and more! Welcome to Coco Canary! Hello from Molly C. O'Connor, the principal and founder of Coco Canary Consulting, LLC, a creative evaluation firm. We are based in St....
The Coco Canary Newsletter December 2023 Summary: A Grounding, Holiday Artwork, Creative Evaluation Video, Molly in the News, Calls to Action, and more! Welcome to Coco Canary! Hello from Molly C. O'Connor, the principal and founder of Coco Canary Consulting, LLC, a creative evaluation firm. We are based in St....
A Coco Canary Grounding November 2023 A Personal Reflection on What is Happening in Palestine & Israel Welcome to A Coco Canary Grounding Hello from Molly C. O'Connor, the principal and founder of Coco Canary Consulting, LLC, a creative evaluation firm. We are based in St. Paul, MN, and acknowledge...
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How To Contact Us
Email us at moconnor@cococanary.com or fill out the form below. We look forward to hearing from you!
© Copyright 2023 Coco Canary Consulting, LLC
Photography: Dejá Jendro at On Display
Photography: Clarke Sanders at Clarke Creates
Logo: Henry DeGrand Design