intelligent measurement

Insights into NGO advocacy evaluation

April 25, 2013 at 5:36 am Leave a comment

A group of leading NGOs have published a comparative study (pdf) on what they are doing in practice on advocacy evaluation. Participating NGOs are: ActionAid International, Amnesty International, Bread for the World, CARE USA , Greenpeace International, ONE,  Oxfam and the Sierra Club.

Following is a summary from the study:

For organizations committed to social change, advocacy often figures as a crucial strategic element. How to assess effectiveness in advocacy is, therefore, important. The usefulness of Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) in advocacy are subject to much current debate. Advocacy staff, MEL professionals, senior managers, the funding community, and stakeholders of all kinds are searching for ways to improve practices – and thus their odds of success – in complex and contested advocacy environments.

This study considers what a selection of leading advocacy organizations are doing in practice. We set out to identify existing practice and emergent trends in advocacy-related MEL practice, to explore current challenges and innovations. The study presents perceptions of how MEL contributes to advocacy effectiveness, and reviews the resources and structures dedicated to MEL.

View the full study here (pdf)>>

Entry filed under: Advocacy evaluation.