Home
The need for monitoring and evaluation in S&D
https://www.sportanddev.org/latest/news/need-monitoring-and-evaluation-sd
Share
 
The URL has been copied
https://www.sportanddev.org/latest/news/need-monitoring-and-evaluation-sd
Share
 
The URL has been copied
As the sector continues to grow and funding requirements become increasingly rigorous, the need for sound monitoring and evaluation (M&E) in S&D has never been more urgent.

 

 

sportanddev brings you the first in a series of articles on monitoring and evaluation (M&E) in S&D.

 

 

The S&D community has long heard the call for improved M&E practice. Researchers, funders and practitioners alike have voiced concerns over the years about a lack of M&E in S&D despite numerous resources, knowledge and tools being made available to the community.

 

So why should the sector be concerned about M&E and why is it important for S&D initiatives to improve their M&E practices? Looking at this from funding, organisational and beneficiary perspectives can help provide insight on the topic.

Funding perspective
Arguably at the heart of this call is the recognition of the need to strengthen the case made to donors that sport is a viable tool in development. For years S&D initiatives have been able to rely on anecdotal experiences and broad arguments that sport can lead to positive social development.

However, these days are fading, as increasing donor requirements are putting pressure on S&D initiatives to clearly show the contribution of their activities to wider development goals.

Organisational perspective
The need for M&E is not only about funding. It is an essential component of good project design and implementation. It is a process through which an organisation should be able to determine how its activities are contributing to desired outcomes. M&E helps organisations better understand and articulate their work. It helps highlight its strengths and identify areas to improve on.

In this light, M&E contributes to organisational development and should help inform the future of an initiative or project.

Beneficiary perspective
Let us not forget the very reason why S&D organisations exist: the beneficiaries. What better case could be made for M&E than the improvement of a beneficiary’s experience as a participant in a programme? As M&E seeks to improve practice it should ultimately result in better programming, which should in turn better meet the needs of beneficiaries.

Monitoring and evaluation is an often discussed but seemingly elusive topic. The idea is simple and lots of knowledge exists on the topic, yet putting it into practice remains difficult for many. sportanddev brings you this series with the aim of sharing some of that knowledge and guiding you in the direction of some helpful resources.

This is the first in a series of articles on Monitoring and Evaluation in S&D. Don’t miss part two on current M&E practices in S&D, which will feature in the 110th e-Newsletter.

 

Authors

Tags

Region
Europe