For monitoring & evaluation to carry value beyond the project, it is crucial to engage the stakeholders themselves in the definition of metrics, the selection of indicators, and in ensuring transparency & accountability of results & in reporting, both to the community involved and to the funders. Establishing participative methods from the outset builds a foundation of trust as well as the capacity to sustain and learn from monitoring, measuring and most importantly analysis to inform course corrections and improvement. In my experience the vast majority of M&E fails to close this learning feedback loop. When the process lacks meaning to the intended (so-called) beneficiaries it can only function as a bureaucratic exercise for donors. It is more valuable to collect less data if it is Utilized to inform and sustain beneficial outcomes by and for stakeholders who actually hold a stake in the M&E process, than to conform to external standards of rigor. It can always be expanded upon - as needed. Less is more if it is sustained beyond the project. By the same token the communication of results and learning is most valuable in terms of uptake & impact when delivery is designed using relatable language & creative methods that are recognizable and interesting to the people involved. This means distilling key messages & working with artists and musicians and other creatives, using culturally appropriate media to bring what we are learning to life. My 50 years of experience in M&E has taught me: above all make it « meaningful, memorable and actionable ». Remember even when We are the donors, We do not read our painstakingly written professionally illustrated project reports!
RE: Beyond the final report: What does it take to communicate evaluation well?
United States of America
Janot Reine Mendler de Suarez
Technical advisor
Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre
Posted on 10/11/2025
For monitoring & evaluation to carry value beyond the project, it is crucial to engage the stakeholders themselves in the definition of metrics, the selection of indicators, and in ensuring transparency & accountability of results & in reporting, both to the community involved and to the funders. Establishing participative methods from the outset builds a foundation of trust as well as the capacity to sustain and learn from monitoring, measuring and most importantly analysis to inform course corrections and improvement. In my experience the vast majority of M&E fails to close this learning feedback loop. When the process lacks meaning to the intended (so-called) beneficiaries it can only function as a bureaucratic exercise for donors. It is more valuable to collect less data if it is Utilized to inform and sustain beneficial outcomes by and for stakeholders who actually hold a stake in the M&E process, than to conform to external standards of rigor. It can always be expanded upon - as needed. Less is more if it is sustained beyond the project. By the same token the communication of results and learning is most valuable in terms of uptake & impact when delivery is designed using relatable language & creative methods that are recognizable and interesting to the people involved. This means distilling key messages & working with artists and musicians and other creatives, using culturally appropriate media to bring what we are learning to life. My 50 years of experience in M&E has taught me: above all make it « meaningful, memorable and actionable ». Remember even when We are the donors, We do not read our painstakingly written professionally illustrated project reports!