We just ended two full days training colleagues from 12 NGOs from Bucharest, Brașov, Odorheiu Secuiesc, Iași and Chișinău how to better monitor and evaluate the impact of their work. Independent evaluation practice, in general, and impact evaluations, in particular, are not common practice in Romania, though they are vital to assess the success of programs we invest in.

This workshop was part of the Regional Programme of ERSTE Foundation NGO Academy, and was held by Wolf and Oana. It gave participants a first overview of types and methods of evaluations that are available to them, and guided them through an analytical process that helped them to make their organizations “evaluation ready”. As part of this process, we supported the participants in identifying aspects of their work that they need to evaluate, formulating evaluation questions that are relevant to them, outlining their program logic and theory of change, and formulating indicators they should monitor and measure in order to answer these questions. On the second day, they learned about the options for designing an impact evaluation, and applied their knowledge to their own program and projects by designing their own impact evaluations.