NGO support toolkit (English)  >  Monitoring and evaluation 

Planning and design

The design of an M&E system should be closely tied to the project development cycle. A good M&E system should perform a dual function:

• Facilitate collective and regular self-assessment of performance and outcomes by the NGOs/CBOs and by the NSP, and
• Clearly outline expected responsibilities in M&E activities, and the required resources.

This section briefly outlines the stages involved in the design of an M&E usystem, starting off by showing a typical project cycle for an NSP, which is linked to the NGO’s project cycle, also showing the timing and link with monitoring & evaluation processes. The component of the cycle that corresponds to an NGO can be a number of NGOs, all working collectively or individually with the NSP. The components of the above cycle are described and explained in different sections of this toolkit.

Issues to consider

• The development of the M&E system should be done in a participatory manner, with all stakeholders involved. The stakeholders could be the donors, the NSP, the NGO/CBOs and community representatives especially if the project is community driven. The data needs for the different donors, if the project is funded by more than one donor, should be clearly outlined and included in the M&E system, avoiding duplication.
• NSPs should regularly review their M&E systems, to identify data collection gaps, duplications and aim to simplify the system for both the NGOs/CBOs and themselves
• The M&E system of the NSP and NGO/CBOs should be planned to help encourage complementarity among initiatives managed by other stakeholders.

Related themes

Project design

Technical support in project design & planning

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