Viable Insights

Stop me if this sounds familiar: Consultant or non-academic researcher doesn’t understand that although we move quickly as an IRB, they still need to be certified to conduct human subjects research. (That’s part of why we love to grab a quick Zoom call with folks to make sure they understand all the nuances that come with submitting an IRB. This includes making sure everyone is up to date on their certification and they’re readily accessible.) Discovers too late that they need to get certified and can’t find any trainings or all the trainings are $$$ Available IRBs are expensive and hard to work with Researcher gets stuck in the administrative process of submitting for IRB approval – going back and forth trying to get a training done (for themselves and usually others). Orrrr, they decide to move forward without an IRB approval and aren’t able to have their findings published later on. And the thing is? IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE LIKE THIS. Certifications can be affordable and accessible. IRBs can be prompt, supportive, affordable, and easy to work with. That’s why we created VIRB and why we just launched our human subjects certification. Learn more here -> https://lnkd.in/gmZDdKvB Our course is online and just 60 minutes long - you could get certified this afternoon. And at just $50 per person (or $1,299 for a year-long organizational membership) it’s more affordable than similar trainings. Got any questions? Just click reply and we’ll be happy to answer them!

The weirdest thing happened at the American Evaluation Association conference last month: People told us over and over that their IRBs were charging them for things like: ▪️ project closures ▪️ PI changes ▪️ amendments ▪️ continuations This can add up to THOUSANDS of dollars! And in the non-profit and academic worlds where every dollar counts, this can be enough to waylay important evaluation or research or eat up the budget so other projects don’t even see the light of day. 🗣️ We’re calling B.S.!! 🗣️ That’s why Viable Insights' IRB (VIRB) doesn’t charge for any of the above. If you’re doing community-based or evaluation-related work and your IRB is charging you for any of the above - consider this your sign to take your business elsewhere. And if you’d like to take your business to VIRB, we’d love to chat! Feel free to DM me or learn more here -> https://lnkd.in/gdspNd_4

🌟 Looking to expand your network and find inspiration in Tucson? Join us as Tucson Thrives hosts their Virtual Networking Event on Tuesday, November 19, featuring special guest Deven Wisner! 🌟 Every Tuesday at 6pm, Tucson’s professionals gather for a free, virtual event focused on connection and growth. Here’s what to look forward to this Tuesday: ✨ Breakout Rooms - Connect in small groups with fellow Tucson professionals. With guided questions and talking points, each discussion is designed to be both meaningful and insightful. 🎤 Guest: Deven Wisner - Don’t miss this chance to hear from Deven, a leader in the evaluation space, as he shares his journey, work experiences, and personal insights. Be ready to walk away inspired! Whether you’re looking to grow your network or gain new insights, Viable Insights is happy to join with Tucson Thrives to support you. Join us to meet fellow Tucsonans and enrich both your professional and personal journey! 🗓️ Check out the details to join, here:  tucsonthrive.org #TucsonThrive #TucsonAZ #ViableInsights #TucsonCommunity

It happened one too many times. One! Too! Many! Times!! To set the scene: It’s the end of summer and absolutely blazing in Tucson, Arizona. Tucson is a college town and 60,000 twenty-somethings are about to descend on our city to return to school. Everyone's a little stressed, a little bit overwhelmed, and a little tired of getting stuck behind moving vans. Phil and I were supporting - not leading - a project we felt needed a human subjects certification. The project lead was adamant that the certification wasn’t needed. We tried to point out that they could lose funding if they weren’t certified. We reminded them that people might doubt their research. We also pointed out the risks to people when research isn’t conducted in the right way. Having an outside perspective and someone to shine a light on blind spots is priceless. No dice. They didn’t think they needed to get the certification or to submit their proposal to an Institutional Review Board. And we get it! A lot of people don’t understand why they need certifications like these and - if we’re going to go ahead and be honest -  the existing IRBs can be troublesome and feel irrelevant. At the last minute, the project lead second-guessed themselves and wanted to get IRB approval but by then it was too late and too expensive. THAT is when we got the idea for our IRB service and naturally, that meant we also needed to rethink/reimagine the human subjects training experience, too.  It’s just $50 per person and it can be completed in AN AFTERNOON. Learn more here -> https://lnkd.in/gmZDdKvB P.S. Wondering what happened with that client? To compensate, we held really firm boundaries on consent and leaned into a ton of transparency with the subjects. But it was stressful for everyone involved. And we really knew this isn't how we wanted to be in our work!

It's the last day of #GrantSummit24! Deven and Phil have had a great time meeting and connecting with so many people over the past couple of days. If you haven't already, stop by Booth 17 to see them, play some games, and find out what Viable Insights is up to! Grant Professionals Association | Viable Insights | #VIRB #ByEvaluatorsForEvaluators #IRB #EthicalData #PPRE #GrantSummit

Visit us over at Booth 17! We look forward to meeting you

🛫 Here we go again! This week, Deven and Phil are taking Viable Insights to Denver, Colorado, for GrantSummit 2024, hosted by the Grant Professionals Association! We would love to see you there—stop by booth #17 to connect with us, learn more about our work, play some fun games, and win exciting prizes! See you soon! #ViableInsights #VIRB #GPA #GrantSummit24 #Evaluation

We’re honored to have been one of the sponsors for the 2024 AEA Diversity TIG Social! We had a great time gathering with everyone—old friends and new—at the event. We connected, celebrated our time together, and supported the incredible work happening in the evaluation community. #Eval24 #ViableInsights #VIRB #PPRE #ProudSponsors #EthicalData #AEA

Be sure to see Deven Wisner and Phil Stoeklen over at booth 317!

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