The document is a presentation on making monitoring and evaluation (M&E) accessible to grassroots organizations. It discusses guiding principles for M&E with grassroots groups, including meeting them where they are and building their ability to do their own M&E. It explains the differences between monitoring, evaluation, outputs, outcomes and impact. Challenges to M&E for grassroots groups are addressed, and tips provided on collecting and analyzing data simply and involving the community. The goal is for groups to use M&E for learning and improving programs while not being overburdened by it.

1. Making M&E Accessible to Grassroots Organizations Webinar presented to GlobalGiving grantees DRAFT 17 May 2011 Jennifer Lentfer of www.how-matters.org

2. Acknowledgements & Thanks Child-focused groups in Lesotho in an M&E training developed specifically for community-based organizations by Insideout/Otherwise. Supported by Firelight Foundation. Photo credit: J. Lentfer

5. M&E? RESULTS? FEAR Policing SCRUTINY PRESSURE! End of Funding? Confusion DISTRUST BURDEN

6. Monitoring & Evaluation: The International Development Paradigm Objectives Statements Performance Indicator Statements Measurement Methods / Data Sources Goal Strategic Objectives Intermediate Results Outputs Activities Critical Assumptions

7. TRUE OR FALSE? 1. A key purpose of M&E is to help organizations assess achievements. 5. The results of grassroots organizations’ work is easy to measure. 3. M&E activities will automatically lead to improved programming. 7. “Knowing” is most accurate when you experience something firsthand. 9. The human dimensions of community work are more important than the numbers. EXERCISE

10. M&E: What’s the Difference? Monitoring Evaluation Ongoing process Event that occurs periodically Recordkeeping/Tracking Activities Analyzing results Observing trends Assessing impact Mainly descriptive, recording inputs, outputs, and activities (e.g. How many children received supplementary school feeding?) More analytical and examines processes (e,g. Did implementing school feeding successfully increase attendance levels?) Allows us to make adjustments or corrective actions in a project Informs future programming for all stakeholders Data collection is part of day-to-day management & activities Additional, special data may be collected using research methodologies Is objective and systematic Is objective and systematic

11. M&E: What’s the Difference? EXERCISE We monitor… We evaluate… 1. A child’s height and weight. 1. Whether children are growing at a normal rate. 2. The number of weekly visits to chronically ill people. 2. The effectiveness of home-based care. 3. The number of families planting improved crop varieties. 3. An increase/ decrease in food security. 4. The number of people trained in human rights. 4. Whether reports of human rights abuses have increased or decreased and why.

12. Choosing M&E Methods Cost Complexity Existing records (e.g. household lists) Routine statistics Focus groups Specific sample surveys Key informant interviews Observation Special or ’point’ studies Keep expectations realistic.

13. Making M&E Accessible De-technicalize language. ROADMAP TO MONITORING What are we trying to change? Where do we want to get to? How are we going to get there? What do we expect to happen along the way? OUTPUT OUTCOME IMPACT How do we know we are on the right road? problem analysis goals, objectives strategy, activities RESULTS indicators, baseline, targets

14. Making M&E Accessible OUTPUT OUTCOME IMPACT ACTIVITIES Have the activities taken place? The very first result of an activity. Organizations have direct control over this result. What happened next? Change of behavior in participants. Organizations have less control over this result. So what? Change at population/ societal level. Organizations have very little control, if any. RESULTS

15. Results: which is which? OUTPUT Have the activities taken place? OUTCOME What happened next? IMPACT So what? ACTIVITY RESULTS Healthier children Children receive more nutritious food School feeding Children weight and height increased ?

16. Results: which is which? OUTPUT Have the activities taken place? OUTCOME What happened next? IMPACT So what? ACTIVITY RESULTS HIV+ people visited in their homes Home-based care for HIV+ people HIV+ people live longer HIV+ people have increased BMI and ART adherence ?

17. Results: which is which? OUTPUT Have the activities taken place? OUTCOME What happened next? IMPACT So what? ACTIVITY RESULTS Farmers oriented on improved crop varieties More farmers harvesting improved varieties Extension services offered to farmers Increased food security ?

18. Results: which is which? OUTPUT Have the activities taken place? OUTCOME What happened next? IMPACT So what? ACTIVITY RESULTS Community members trained in human rights Human rights training Human rights more widely upheld Increased reporting of human rights violations ?

19. Determining Results EXERCISE

22. Challenges? What is your organization facing? What do you anticipate? Staff of child-focused organizations in Zambia engaged in practical exercises during M&E training developed specifically for community-based organizations by Insideout/Otherwise. Supported by Firelight Foundation. Photo credit: J. Lentfer

24. Challenges: Reality Check “ Absence of computers to process data and store the information so it can be easily accessed.” “ We now need to be able to cross the river more frequently.”

26. Remember: G reat work does not equal great M&E. Poor M&E does not equal poor work. Good luck in your M&E efforts! THANK YOU