Monitoring & Evaluation Use Cases

Background Monitoring and Evaluation

Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) is a crucial process for non-profit organizations as it helps to measure and assess the progress and impact of their programs and activities. By conducting M&E, non-profits can identify areas for improvement, demonstrate accountability to stakeholders, and make informed decisions, for example about resource allocation.

Monitoring involves collecting regular data and information on the activities and outputs of the program
Evaluation involves collecting and analyzing data at a specific point in time to assess the effectiveness and impact of the program in achieving its goals and objectives.

Indicators in M&E

Indicators, in terms of M&E, are specific, measurable variables that are used to track progress and assess the impact of non-profit programs. Indicators measure progress towards their goals and objectives, identify areas for improvement, and communicate their impact to stakeholders.

Indicators can be both quantitative (e.g., number of participants, amount of funds raised) and qualitative (e.g., participant feedback, changes in attitudes or behavior).

Example for indicator use: Output indicators in an evaluation

Output indicators are used to measure the immediate results of a project and the outputs that have been achieved. They help to determine if the project was successful in delivering its intended results, and if the outputs are consistent with the project goals and objectives. Some examples for output indicators (here a project evaluation in developmental aid):

Number of people served or reached by the project
Quantity of goods or services delivered by the project
Number of new or improved infrastructure or facilities created by the project
Amount of knowledge or skills gained by participants in the project
Level of awareness or understanding of key issues among project beneficiaries
Level of behavior change or adoption of new practices among project beneficiaries
Number of jobs created or income generated by the project
Level of access to essential services or resources improved by the project
Quantity of environmental or natural resources conserved or protected by the project
Level of social cohesion or community engagement fostered by the project

Why use visual indicators for M&E in Salesforce?

Communication is crucial in evaluations, as it helps ensure that stakeholders are informed about the evaluation’s purpose, methods, findings, and recommendations, and to ensure that evaluation results are understood and used to inform decision-making.

Having indicators readily available can be a useful tool for promoting communication and engagement around evaluation. By providing stakeholders with access to relevant indicators, they can easily track progress and performance, identify areas where improvements are needed, and make informed decisions based on the evaluation findings.

For example, if a project is designed to improve access to healthcare in a particular community, having indicators such as the number of healthcare providers, the number of people served, or the quality of services provided, readily available can help stakeholders understand how well the project is performing and identify areas where improvements may be needed.

Making indicators easily accessible and understandable can also help to ensure that stakeholders are engaged in the evaluation process and are more likely to take the evaluation findings into account when making decisions. This can help promote transparency, accountability, and learning, and ultimately lead to improved project outcomes.

What exactly would we need?

Choosing appropriate indicators is important for effective monitoring and evaluation, as they should be relevant, feasible, and meaningful for the program being evaluated. We could provide the most common indicators as options and bundle them depending on different approaches, fields, goals etc.

various indicator bundles for monitoring, and
various indicator bundles for evaluations.