Designing A Monitoring And Evaluation System: A Case Study Of A Parent Advocate Program New Monitoring And Evaluation System

Degree Name

MA in Sustainable Development

First Advisor

Jim Levinson

Abstract

This capstone paper presents an analysis of the design process of a new monitoring and evaluation system for ALANA Community Organization in Brattleboro, Vermont. This non-profit organization had not implemented a formal evaluation system before. This paper is built on the premise that an evaluation system offers opportunities for organizations to evaluate the quality of their work and appropriateness of their strategies.

This case study describes the development of an Intake/update Monitoring system that keeps track of the Parent Advocate Program’s beneficiaries; using participants’ evaluation forms, and provides a internal program constraints assessment for the organization’s staff. It is hoped that ALANA will carry out trials of these components of an M&E system. The study also seeks to assess the effectiveness of existing M&E activities and provides recommendations for the system’s improvement. During the design process, two major challenges were faced: Lack of understanding of M&E concepts from the staff, and limited resources of the organization. The design process also reveals three important weaknesses of the organization’s monitoring and evaluation system: 1) Inadequate ownership of the M&E system, 2) Inadequate communication and support from the staff, and 3) Inadequate interest in and value placed on the M&E system.

The case study illustrates the constraints often faced by small non-profit organizations seeking to create an M&E system but struggling with lack of personnel, financial resources, and communication.

Disciplines

Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods

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