How a Glasgow conversation became a 100km challenge
The idea for the Open Door Fund didn’t come from a strategy session or a formal paper. It came from a conversation on the way to dinner one evening at the 2025 UK Evaluation Society conference in Glasgow—a simple walk that sparked a conversation the trustees couldn’t stop thinking about.
As they walked to dinner, the trustees began comparing their own experiences—times when caring responsibilities made attending events difficult, when travel costs were a stretch, or when opportunities felt just out of reach early in their careers.
It quickly became evident they couldn’t be alone in this. If they had faced these barriers, others in the evaluation community almost certainly had too.
These weren’t isolated experiences—they were recurring themes. And they showed that something needed to change. It wasn’t about enthusiasm or capability. It was about access.
The message was unmistakable: if the UK Evaluation Society wanted to help people participate fully, it needed to act. So the trustees began shaping a simple, practical response—a fund designed to remove the real-life obstacles that stop people from getting involved.
Once the fund was established, the next challenge was how to sustainably resource it so it could make a meaningful difference.
The Research and Evaluation Centre (The REC) has generously stepped forward as the first official sponsor of the Open Door Fund, helping us lay the foundations for a more accessible and inclusive evaluation community. But for the fund to truly remove barriers, it needs continued support—which is why our Vice Chair, Fiona Larner, is taking part in ultramarathon, Race to the Stones.
Every step taken for someone else’s future
Fiona’s 100km challenge is more than a fundraising effort; it’s a visible commitment to those who too often find participation just out of reach.
With every kilometre, Fiona is helping to build a fund that can offer real, practical support—from covering caring responsibilities to easing travel and accommodation costs—so more people can take part fully and share their voice.
"Evaluation can only perform its role fully if those involved represent the breadth of the society it serves. This is why the Open Door Fund is so important to me - there shouldn't be barriers to anyone being involved in evaluative practice, and this Fund enables everyone who wants to contribute to be part of the conversation."
Fiona Larner, Vice Chair, UK Evaluation Society
Race to the Stones can take 25 hours or more. It’s long, tough, and at moments lonely. But for our Vice Chair, those miles represent all the unseen challenges others face every day when trying to build their skills and contribute to our profession.
By supporting Fiona, you are not funding a race. You are opening doors.
You are helping parents attend conferences.
You are giving early-career evaluators the training that lights the spark.
You are ensuring no one is left out because of circumstances beyond their control.
Every donation—no matter the size—removes one more barrier and opens one more opportunity.
If you believe in fair access, in nurturing brilliant people, and in strengthening the future of evaluation…please join our Vice Chair on this journey and help build a profession where everyone can take part.