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Maths and science is the new HIV/AIDS

Wednesday, July 4th 2012

With the funding environment as tight as it has ever been (we were deluged by people wanting to join our fundraising Knowledge Session in June), organisations are turning themselves inside-out to fit donor focus areas. HIV/AIDS used to be the ‘sexy’ cause where all the funding went but now it's other things: maths and science education and income generation programmes. GreaterCapital’s Elena Mancebo Masa looks at the dangers of donor-driven development.

You are excited. The meeting with that funder went really well: they seem interested in your work and they are willing to enter a long-term partnership over the next three years. This opportunity comes just at the right time after the last funder pulled out and because business is tough at the moment.

The only problem is: how are you going to report on the indicators they have specified? They will only give you funding for the second year if you show a 10% increase in income for your beneficiaries. But you run life skills programmes for families – how can you prove an increase in income?

You know that your programme works; everyone can see it by talking to participants but you don’t have a monitoring and evaluation system. You have never kept records of family income, your facilitators don’t see the need to spend any time on ‘administrative issues’ and your director is proud to put 95% of the funding directly into your work with families. What do you do? Change your programme to fit the funder’s focus? Desperately look for ways to measure what you are not doing?

Most of us working in the non profit environment will have had similar experiences with a potential funder. Often, only when we are removed from the pressures of the situation, are we able to recognise the dangers of this situation:

#1 A good monitoring and evaluation system won’t help you to show results that you are not actually trying to achieve. If your programme focuses on building the life skills of families, you don’t want to be measured on increase in income. This will set you up for failure from the very start.

#2 The funder’s agenda should never drive your mission and strategy. You believe in the value of your programme and while it might need some stronger evidence of impact, you have developed a model over time, you have the direct experience with beneficiaries, you know what works and what doesn’t. YOU ARE THE EXPERT.

#3 Skimping on monitoring and evaluation is a false economy. Many organisations put monitoring and evaluation at the bottom of the priority list – because it is time-consuming and can be expensive. But programmes, like people, need time to sit back and reflect. A monitoring and evaluation system will help you to understand the strengths and weaknesses of your programme be able to act on them. Investing in such a system will not only help you refine your programme, but give you the evidence that you need to attract the right funder at your next networking opportunity.

Need help setting up an M&E system? Visit KnowHow Non Profit for more information or contact .

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