Data Gathering, Monitoring & Evaluation Systems
All organizations want the best outcomes for the populations they serve. Monitoring and evaluation enables you to meet expectations by documenting results and finding ways to grow. Data is also a crucial part to writing proposals and actually winning grants.
How Capacity+ Can Help
Building Your Data Gathering Skills
We believe that monitoring and evaluation is a tested and necessary practice for helping your organization reach your goals and identify strengths and weaknesses. We specialize in reducing the learning curve for this vital skill-set.
Our approach is to make this unfamiliar and intimidating practice accessible and affordable for any organization. We recognized that many organizations already routinely collect vital data informally. Capacity+ formalizes this process through its monitoring and evaluation framework and many useful resources. We can assist your organization in setting up these systems, identifying baseline data points, and develop a strategy that matches your programs and mission.
Preparing For Proposals
Monitoring and evaluation tracks your organization’s ongoing progress. Funders know that organizations are applying to address a weakness and are eager to be flexible. However, organizations that are able to identify a challenge and support their plans to improve with good data will stand out to funders. Grant applications prioritize monitoring and evaluation in order to find the most effective programs worth supporting.
Our Approach
- Capacity+'s approach integrates data into decision making and program design.
- The evaluation plan establishes a cycle of data collection including measures of program quality and outcome goals.
- Reviewing this data allows for regular corrections.
- Incorporating evaluation into program design and management follows industry standard guidance and positions your organization to clearly determine success.
(Empowerment Evaluation, Fetterman, D. 1994; Equity-focused Evaluation, Jones, Bensimon and Dowd, 2011; Rapid Cycle Quality Improvement, Health Workforce Technical Assistance Center, 2016).
More About Monitoring & Evaluation
Data in Program Management
Monitoring and Evaluation answers five core questions.
Did our organization and program:
- Serve the number promised from the target audience?
- Offer the promised activities at the promised frequency?
- Spend grant funds in the manner promised?
- Have the intended impact on participants?
- Involve funders before changing our targets or program?
These questions can only be answered if the organization measures progress along the way. Monitoring and evaluation is best way to ensure your organization can answer your funder's questions.
By engaging all of the stakeholders in a program —organization administrators, coordinators, volunteers, and participants— you get the full picture on your program's success.
Make Informed Decisions
Monitoring and evaluation done well produces vital information the organization can use to make better decisions. Good data leads to better management, efficiency, and better program design. Investing the time up front ensures that actions are intentional and yield meaningful results. It eliminates the need to scramble at the end with limited capacity to achieve the true potential and demonstrate the full impact of your organization.
