Monitoring and evaluation (often abbreviated M&E) are separate, but related, tools for evaluating and understanding program implementation and impact. While evaluation professionals often have graduate degrees or other advanced education in evaluation, data collection, statistics, or qualitative research methods, there are many things your nonprofit organization can do to increase its ability to plan and implement good monitoring and evaluation practices.

In this article, we will discuss the similarities and differences between monitoring and evaluation, their importance in program effectiveness, and the basic steps your organization can take to increase your capacity to develop monitoring and evaluation systems. There are also many excellent resources from donors such as the World Bank and the United Nations, as well as textbooks. See the list at the end of this article for good sources for further reading.

What are monitoring and evaluation?

Monitoring and evaluation is critical to building an evidence base around the needs your programs address and to evaluating the often diverse interventions being put in place to address the problem globally. They are tools for identifying and documenting successful programs and approaches and tracking progress toward common indicators across all related projects. Monitoring and evaluation form the basis for understanding the underlying factors and the effectiveness of the response at the service provider, community, national and international levels. [United Nations. 2012]

Monitoring is a systematic and long-term process that collects information on the progress made by an implemented project. Evaluation is time-specific and is done to judge whether a project met its objectives and delivered as expected according to its original plan. [FundsforNGOs. 2013]

Both monitoring and evaluation use social research methods to undertake systematic investigations, helping to answer a common set of questions. Despite these shared goals, their roles are distinct. The focus of monitoring is to track program implementation and progress, including program activities and processes, outputs, and initial results. Monitoring focuses both on what is being done in a program and how it is being done to support management decisions and accountability. [Markiewicz & Patrick. 2016]

Evaluation relies on monitoring and follow-up to make judgments about program performance. The analysis carried out as part of an evaluation is usually based on the synthesis of a series of data, including those obtained through monitoring. Evaluation is concerned with creating a deeper understanding of change. [Markiewicz & Patrick. 2016]

Why is monitoring and evaluation important?

Monitoring and evaluation are important management tools. Nonprofits (and for-profit businesses) use them to track progress and enable informed decision-making. While some donors require some form of monitoring and evaluation, the people your organization works with may be the main consumers of an evaluation. By thoroughly and honestly examining your work, your nonprofit can develop programs and activities that are effective, efficient, and a powerful source of change for the community.

The need for monitoring and evaluation is also shown in the contemporary political context where management strategies such as RBM (results-based management) have influenced the expectations placed on organizations. Monitoring and evaluation have become a vital part of making informed decisions about the future of a program. This is especially important when a program is committed to learning what works for its intended beneficiaries and adjusting its programs based on the results. [Markiewicz & Patrick. 2016]

Monitoring and evaluation should be part of a program planning and management process; it’s not just an essential component to a grant application. An evaluation plan is something that should be built into the design stage of a project because it lays the groundwork for accurately measuring results, engaging the right stakeholders, and identifying the changes that need to be made to allocate the right resources needed to increase performance. Social impact. In addition, proper M&E provides funders with accurate data that is often used to assess the need for continued support.

What does your nonprofit organization need to get started?

Of course, developing a monitoring and evaluation system is not a one-time endeavor. The steps required depend on the program you are planning and the needs of your particular organization. When asked “If the nonprofits you work with could do one thing to be ready to work with an evaluation consultant, what would it be?”

Have an open mind and be prepared for change. The responsibility of an assessment consultant is to assess the needs of the target population within the service environment and design an action plan to address that need. Of course, managing this plan is about collecting data and reporting the findings, but if your existing project is not meeting the needs of the target population, then what result is your project actually producing? Sometimes you need a change. Although this is not always the case, it is important to be prepared for constructive criticism and be open to change if necessary.

There are also some general steps that apply to the development of most monitoring and evaluation systems. Below is an adapted outline from the World Bank that you can use to ensure that monitoring and evaluation is included in your program planning.

1. Identify stakeholders in each part of program design, implementation, and reporting. Confirm that their input is incorporated into monitoring and evaluation plans as well as program design.

2. Discuss and articulate the scope, purpose, intended use, audience, and budget of the evaluation.

3. Determine what you want to learn from the monitoring and evaluation of the program. Develop evaluation questions based on these priorities. See our previous article Tips for Asking the Right Questions for help on developing assessment questions.

4. Select indicators that provide a clear method for measuring the answers to the evaluation questions. Indicators can be quantitative or qualitative. A process indicator is information that focuses on how a program is implemented.

5. Find out the best data collection methods for your indicators and budget. Surveys, interviews, administrative and program data, and document reviews are examples of data collection methods.

6. Analyze the information you collect. Look for patterns or trends that you want to investigate further.

7. Provide feedback and recommendations based on the analysis. Use data analysis to make recommendations about what is working and what within your program may need adjustment.

8. Communicate your recommendations, including the data and how you reached your conclusions, to your stakeholders. Ask them for feedback on the best ways to use the results. [World Bank. 2007]

Regardless of the process you use, it is important that your program theory and logic serve as the foundation for your monitoring and evaluation systems. If you don’t have a logic model for your program, see our article on Creating Useful Logic Models.

Resources remain one of the biggest barriers for nonprofit organizations that want to increase their monitoring and evaluation activities. According to the Innovation Network’s 2016 survey of US-based 501(c)3 organizations, 92% of nonprofits participated in the assessment last year, and the vast majority of these organizations (92 %) received funding for the evaluation from at least one source. On the other hand, only 12% of nonprofits surveyed spent 5% or more of their organization’s budgets on evaluation. Less than a tenth of nonprofits reported having evaluation staff (internal or external). [Innovation Network. 2017]

Without sufficient resources, it can be difficult to design and implement monitoring and evaluation systems. On the other hand, the data you collect through monitoring and evaluation activities can help you retain donors. Some nonprofits with successful monitoring and evaluation systems even create data “dashboards” on their websites so donors and other constituents can track the organization’s success. While we often talk about evaluation in relation to donors, the results of ongoing monitoring and evaluation can also show donors that their money is being used and allocated correctly.

In conclusion, using monitoring and evaluation tools to assess and understand nonprofit program implementation and impact offers significant benefits to your organization. Consider increasing your organization’s capacity to plan and implement good monitoring and evaluation practices by getting involved with a local chapter of the American Evaluation Association, attending a workshop at a nearby university, or talking to a RevGen consultant about simple things you could implement that would have a positive return on investment.

References and further reading

American Evaluation Association

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Funds for NGOs. Why is monitoring and evaluation important for NGOs? 2013

Innovation Network. State of Evaluation 2016: Evaluation Capacity and Practice in the Nonprofit Sector. 2017

Markiewicz, Anne, and Ian Patrick. Development of monitoring and evaluation frameworks. SAGE Publications. 2016

Georgetown University National Center for Maternal and Child Health Education

United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. Why is monitoring and evaluation important? 2012

Urban Institute

World Bank. Monitoring and evaluation tip sheet. 2007

World Health Organization