A monitoring and evaluation (M&E) plan describes how the whole M&E system for the program works. This includes the indicators, who is responsible for collecting them, what forms and tools will be used, and how the data will flow through the organisation. You can think of an M&E plan as …

Download Tableau Public Do you ever wish you could send your donor a cool interactive map showing the results of your project, rather than just a boring report or PowerPoint presentation? Well, now you can. Tableau Public is a free tool that allows anyone to create interactive charts and maps …

The most common way to get funding for an international development / aid project is by writing a proposal and submitting it to a donor (or many donors!). Donors read hundreds, if not thousands, of proposals each year. Well-written proposals are more likely to get their attention and ultimately to …

Before implementing any type of international development / aid program it’s a good idea to identify all the risks you might face, and work out what you are going to do about them. Risks to the program might include internal issues, such as the necessary resources not being available or …

Download Tiny Tools Many international development / aid programs try to directly improve people’s lives through activities such as building boreholes, running agricultural training programs, or setting up youth programs. When evaluating these types of programs it can be difficult to know if community members really believe that their situation …

One of the most common questions I get asked by people doing surveys in international development is “how big should my sample size be?”. While there are many sample size calculators and statistical guides available, those who never did statistics at university (or have forgotten it all) may find them intimidating or …

While it might seem surprising to people outside the field of international development / global aid, one big challenge in any international development program is making sure that activities actually get implemented in the first place (and in the manner they were designed). Community health workers, teachers, peer educators and …

It used to be that if you were working in international development and wanted to improve your skills you only had two choices. Either spend a lot of time and money doing a masters degree, or try to teach yourself using whatever old textbooks you could find lying around. These …

Semi-structured interviews are a staple of international development programs. Unfortunately they are often done in a rush without proper planning and analysis. The result can be a pile of interview notes that don’t contain the information you need, or simply repeat the same points over and over without adding anything …

Every employee and volunteer in your program should have a basic job description that lists their responsibilities, who the report to and who they supervise. Job descriptions are important for making sure that everyone knows exactly what they are responsible for. Common roles in international development programs include the Program …