This document discusses reliable reporting for social development projects. It notes that reporting has shifted from solely accounting and governance to also incorporating social development goals. A good monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework is key, distinguishing monitoring from evaluation. Monitoring ensures implementation and self-reporting, while evaluation assesses outcomes and impact through external review. The framework must link strategy to M&E and provide a theory of change to connect activities to goals. Funders and organizations must work together to co-create appropriate M&E without overburdening organizations.

1. TSI/GIBS Serious Social
Investing Conference
14 March 2013
Reliable Reporting
Fatima Adam

2. Three Points
• Why the shift in reporting
• What are the two key elements of reliable reporting
• How does a good M and E framework contribute to
reliable reporting
• Concluding remarks

3. Why The Shift
In the past, reporting in the social investment sphere was
underpinned largely by accounting/governance
imperatives
Today, there is widespread acknowledgement that this is
no longer sufficient
As a result there is an emergence of new thinking around
reporting

4. Rethinking Reporting
• Reliable Reporting in social development
o Balance accounting imperatives with social
development imperatives, otherwise it will result in
useless technical/ compliance exercises
o Informed by a comprehensive Monitoring and
Evaluation Framework

5. Good M and E Framework
• Makes clear the different purposes for monitoring/evaluating
:Summative, formative, learning, strategic functions
• Links your strategic intent to your M and E activity
• Makes explicit the theory of change:
o Theory of Change ‘as a way to describe the set of assumptions that explain both
the mini-steps that lead to the long term goal of interest and the connections
between program activities and outcomes that occur at each step of the way.
description of a sequence of events that is expected to lead to a particular desired
outcome.’
o My assumption is if I do this in this way under these conditions, it will result in . .
o Education and implementation model aspects

6. Good M and E Framework
• Provides clear articulation between the data you collect
at various levels and the questions that you are trying to
answer
• Meets rigorous data collection and data analysis
standards: qualitative versus quantitative, validity,
reliability and triangulation
• Informs the design of high quality instruments
• Differentiates between M and E

7. Designing an M and E Framework
• Consider
o Value based decisions: strategic intent, educational
philosophy, development strategy
o Evidence based decisions: what research says about
what works best
o Resource based decisions

8. Monitoring and Evaluation Framework
• Differences
o Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) are often conflated when they should be treated as
separate, but complementary, activities
o Monitoring
• is a core element of programme management, determining whether activities have
taken place as planned, Internal: beneficiaries and funders
• is intended to help ensure that the interventions are implemented as effectively as
possible
• Self reporting
o Evaluation
• assesses the extent to which a project has achieved its stated outcomes and
examines the factors (positive and negative) that have influenced the achievement
of results . Usually external
• offers correlations between inputs and outcomes, measures outcome

9. Conclusion
• For this to work effectively:
o Funders must become critical and informed users of
information from monitoring and evaluations
o M and E for projects must be co-created
o M and E must not overburden organisations: instead
of enabling it will disable

10. Conclusion
• For this to work effectively:
o Funders must become critical and informed users of
information from monitoring and evaluations
o M and E for projects must be co-created
o M and E must not overburden organisations: instead
of enabling it will disable