Data as a Tool for Change: How Monitoring and Evaluation Strengthen Organizations and Their Projects

Author: Darya Rybalchenko – Director of the National Network of Local Philanthropy Development

In our organization, everyone understands the importance of data. We consciously build a system where every team member is involved in monitoring and evaluation (M&E). We don’t have a dedicated specialist or a written M&E policy. Instead, each project manager is responsible for understanding whether their project is making a difference in the lives of beneficiaries. They also collect data that helps improve the project in the future.

Is this the perfect system? It works for us right now, but we understand there’s room for development. After all, data collection is just the tip of the iceberg. There’s a lot of work behind it, which lately has been referred to as MEAL (Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning).

Often, monitoring and evaluation are perceived as something necessary only for donors. However, we work with data for ourselves as well. For example:

• We assess how an event went and what can be improved next time.
• We track mentions on social media.
• We communicate with those who attended the events or received assistance.

Working with data is not just for reporting; it’s for development. This process should start not with studying log frames or reporting standards, but by identifying specific tasks that help the organization (not only the projects) improve. The impact of each project can be viewed from different angles: how it affects society, what processes need improvement, and how the project influences the organization itself.

During a study trip titled “Measurement What Matters,” I had the opportunity to speak with representatives of local organizations from various countries. We discussed how to effectively use data in our work, and I was captivated by one key idea: “What should we do with the data we already have?”

As a result of our discussions, we identified 7 key operational tasks that data work performs for the sustainable development of a public or charitable organization.

1. Reflection
This is the work with data that helps us understand what approaches are working and which aren’t. For example, after each event, we ask participants to fill out an anonymous feedback form with questions about both the usefulness of the event and its logistical components. Based on this feedback, we hold a team meeting and also collect data from the team. Everything is documented in one place, and every subsequent event takes into account what we have learned.

2. Accountability
This is probably one of the most obvious tasks: reporting to donors about financial resources and to partners about other resources. However, it’s important to also report on intangible resources – trust, attention, and recognition that we receive from those we help. Being transparent and communicating how material resources were distributed, what was done, and why it matters is important not only for donors but also for those for whom we are working. Every year, as a charitable organization, we and our members, the Community Foundations, prepare a public report that is published on our website.

3. Teaching
By recording our achievements, we can easily share our experience, motivate, and teach other teams. In our work, we try to capture and pass on experiences to members of our network: how to build communications, how to work with a team, how to set up IT tools. We also try to document requests that come to us and address them during joint events.

4. Documenting
There’s a global problem – we constantly try to reinvent the wheel. This happens due to a lack of time and materials to study the experiences of other organizations: what worked, what challenges they faced, what led to success. Creating a “historical book” of your organization can be useful both for the sector and within the organization when engaging new people or partners.

We have two useful practices in this direction:

1. Reading and discussing research.
2. Documenting the project methodology (which we’ve just started working on).

5. Communicating
The visibility of an organization speaks to its organizational processes. In many organizations, monitoring teams closely collaborate with communication teams. When we organize a visit to a community, the project manager often travels with the communications team to capture materials, gather stories, and present the project through storytelling tools.

6. Understanding Where We Stand
Data collection helps us understand how we’re progressing relative to our goals, and whether the projects are achieving the planned results. The team holds regular meetings every week to discuss results, and once every six months, we hold a meeting to discuss each project and organizational goals.

7. Using Data for Decision-Making
When making decisions about a project, we always conduct research among our members: who is doing something similar, whether additional support is needed, and what best practices are out there. We also use internal data from the organization, such as registration statistics for events. How many people who registered statistically do not attend the event, how many are truly interested, and so on. This data impacts the planning of future events: how many registrations we need to ensure that a certain number of the target audience attends. It’s also important to learn how to collect data that helps make both operational and strategic decisions.

Monitoring and evaluation, no matter what term you use, should not be viewed as “something for donors.” It is primarily for the sustainable development of the organization. And when you work with data, ask yourself the following questions:

• Do I need this volume of data, and what purpose does it serve?
• How do I structure and manage the data?
• Do these data reveal something I hadn’t noticed before?