Excellent article. I can see great potential for using these tools in M&E. Glad also to see familiar names in your article, people I admire and respect. Thanks.
Excellent paper. I like the simple, efficient and elegant way you describe Sensemaker. Now I see that I make it to complecated in my explanations! Too bad I couldn’t download the pdf. It appears to be damaged.
Really interesting piece. As a former communicator for a environmental non-profit stories from the field—specifically success stories from the field - were vital to our fundraising efforts. Yet, with small staffs and small budgets getting busy team members to collect stories and report back was a constant challenge. This approach can show a more tangible ROI. The conclusion offers another vital piece of information - circle back to your staff and communities in the field. Make sure they know their story was told and how it was told. Too often this gets overlooked and that hurts you the next time you go back asking for another story.
This will work really well in the beginning. Then it will be “gamed” wherever it is repeated periodically. Those who want donor money can easily “buy” votes and comments from the community. Even here in the U.S., when there is a chance to win and award or other recognition via voting, nonprofits will call on their constituency to vote. (the American Idol effect)
A wonderful article. I should point out that we have been using this approach in our People-Centered Development program in the countries we buy from for over eighteen years. That’s eighteen years. There are plenty of small organizations around the world who have been engaged in this work. I only hope that one day organizations like yours open your lens to see and acknowledge the great work that has been done by these small groups for decades, without Rockefeller, USAID or other mega-grantors. There is a lot of human wisdom already out there.
I’m not sure I understand how this is a substantively new way of evaluating a program. It seems there are two innovations being extolled here: 1) the technology that allows the parsing of prose data into numerical and statistically relevant data, and 2) the practice of asking beneficiaries of a given program about their experience with and opinions of said program. The first does sound like a powerful new tool, and I would have liked to hear a little more about how it actually works. But the second, as it is described in the article, appears to be simply the re-naming (into “storytelling”) of a practice with which we should already be quite familiar. Unless we are NOT already querying beneficiaries and local communities, in which case there’s a huge problem that goes well beyond the scope of ‘evaluation’.
What I find particularly interesting about the value of listening to people’s stories that isn’t mentioned here, is its usefulness in revealing very minor but key details in a bigger picture. These are details that are often only articulated when people are chatting away to each other, and simply won’t come out in response to standard queries. Details that are not necessarily omitted purposefully, but rather because people don’t think to point them out. Until, that is, they get into the guts of their ‘story’ and the details become narrative steam.
Suzie this was a helpful story, citing several resources. Reminds me of message in the book (do not like title) Tell to Win, re value of a purposeful narrative that is meaningful to the listener so listener can see a role for themself in the story, want to be a part of it, remake and share it w/others
a great article thank you for sharing and posting ,“These interventions are amplifying the voices of marginalised communities and helping citizens to hold governments to accoun”
really apperciate your post so much .
Excellent article. I can see great potential for using these tools in M&E. Glad also to see familiar names in your article, people I admire and respect. Thank you so much.
COMMENTS
BY Cristina Sette
ON May 27, 2011 03:26 AM
Excellent article. I can see great potential for using these tools in M&E. Glad also to see familiar names in your article, people I admire and respect. Thanks.
BY Jochum Stienstra
ON June 3, 2011 03:56 AM
Excellent paper. I like the simple, efficient and elegant way you describe Sensemaker. Now I see that I make it to complecated in my explanations! Too bad I couldn’t download the pdf. It appears to be damaged.
BY Oscar N
ON June 5, 2011 11:56 PM
Good read on M&E! I will look to use this within my non-profit. thanks!
BY muhu@erols.com
ON June 30, 2011 12:07 PM
Congratulations, Global Giving!
BY Jason W Anderson
ON June 30, 2011 12:21 PM
Really interesting piece. As a former communicator for a environmental non-profit stories from the field—specifically success stories from the field - were vital to our fundraising efforts. Yet, with small staffs and small budgets getting busy team members to collect stories and report back was a constant challenge. This approach can show a more tangible ROI. The conclusion offers another vital piece of information - circle back to your staff and communities in the field. Make sure they know their story was told and how it was told. Too often this gets overlooked and that hurts you the next time you go back asking for another story.
BY pelhamhoyt@aol.com
ON June 30, 2011 12:38 PM
This will work really well in the beginning. Then it will be “gamed” wherever it is repeated periodically. Those who want donor money can easily “buy” votes and comments from the community. Even here in the U.S., when there is a chance to win and award or other recognition via voting, nonprofits will call on their constituency to vote. (the American Idol effect)
BY Dean Cycon, Deans Beans Organic Coffee
ON June 30, 2011 01:04 PM
A wonderful article. I should point out that we have been using this approach in our People-Centered Development program in the countries we buy from for over eighteen years. That’s eighteen years. There are plenty of small organizations around the world who have been engaged in this work. I only hope that one day organizations like yours open your lens to see and acknowledge the great work that has been done by these small groups for decades, without Rockefeller, USAID or other mega-grantors. There is a lot of human wisdom already out there.
BY Karen Nassi
ON June 30, 2011 03:13 PM
I’m not sure I understand how this is a substantively new way of evaluating a program. It seems there are two innovations being extolled here: 1) the technology that allows the parsing of prose data into numerical and statistically relevant data, and 2) the practice of asking beneficiaries of a given program about their experience with and opinions of said program. The first does sound like a powerful new tool, and I would have liked to hear a little more about how it actually works. But the second, as it is described in the article, appears to be simply the re-naming (into “storytelling”) of a practice with which we should already be quite familiar. Unless we are NOT already querying beneficiaries and local communities, in which case there’s a huge problem that goes well beyond the scope of ‘evaluation’.
What I find particularly interesting about the value of listening to people’s stories that isn’t mentioned here, is its usefulness in revealing very minor but key details in a bigger picture. These are details that are often only articulated when people are chatting away to each other, and simply won’t come out in response to standard queries. Details that are not necessarily omitted purposefully, but rather because people don’t think to point them out. Until, that is, they get into the guts of their ‘story’ and the details become narrative steam.
BY MUUNGANO DEVELOPMENT GATEWAYS :MDG
ON July 1, 2011 02:39 AM
This is good program .i came across it today how can we too get involved.
BY Kare Anderson Center for the Edge + Say it Better
ON July 1, 2011 08:28 PM
Suzie this was a helpful story, citing several resources. Reminds me of message in the book (do not like title) Tell to Win, re value of a purposeful narrative that is meaningful to the listener so listener can see a role for themself in the story, want to be a part of it, remake and share it w/others
BY claire lyons pepsico foundation
ON July 2, 2011 10:55 AM
Global Giving is a fabulous organization facilitating connectivity and importantly funding at the grassroots. Excellent. Thank you for this article.
BY العاب
ON December 26, 2011 06:58 PM
Good posting, im subscribing to your rss. Many thanks once more
BY Diane Hopson
ON February 28, 2012 08:50 PM
OMG, do you see whats transpiring in Syria? In spite of a brutal government crackdown, the demonstrations continue
BY Premal Shah
ON October 23, 2013 05:03 PM
Helpful post on M&E possibilities at Kiva. Thanks!
BY العاب ماريو
ON September 21, 2014 06:57 AM
a great article thank you for sharing and posting ,“These interventions are amplifying the voices of marginalised communities and helping citizens to hold governments to accoun”
really apperciate your post so much .
BY العاب باتمان فلاش
ON December 13, 2015 01:42 PM
Excellent article. I can see great potential for using these tools in M&E. Glad also to see familiar names in your article, people I admire and respect. Thank you so much.
BY Green Coffee Solutions
ON May 2, 2018 11:18 PM
Great, I Like the Info. you share about < a href=“http://greencoffeesolutions.co.uk/”>Green Coffee Solutions</a>