oi cmel approach calp march 2015 final

MEL in Campaigns & Influencing

Gabrielle Watson & Claire Hutchings February 19, 2015

Climate Change Campaign

We Can Campaign - Bangladesh

Grow Campaign

Control Arms Campaign

Robin Hood Tax Campaign

How is Influencing different?

1. Aim is to shift power – how to measure?

2. Unpredictable dynamics – need rapid response

3. Need to inform and influence others

4. Many actors and drivers – Oxfam just one player

1. Focus on reach, access & influence

2. Real-time learning tools

3. Invest in credible evidence/ research

4. Context & contribution analysis (not attribution)

Why is MEL important?

Figure out what works (and doesn’t) to get stronger and sharper - helping you to learn what strategies or activities are working well, and where midcourse corrections many be needed

Build stronger teams & alliances

Have more impact

Communicate successes & lessons learned

6 step approach to Influencing MEL

Build Learning

Loops

Set the Strategy

MEL Plan – the Building Blocks

MEL Plan – the Building Blocks

1. Theory of Change

2. Measures of Success & Collect Data

• who will collect what data when (frequency & timing), why and how

3. Analysis & Sensemaking • Team meetings• After-action reviews• Strategy reviews• External reviews

4. Report Out & Use • Internal – driving decisions

• External stakeholders – donors, allies, partners

Influencing MEL Approach (example)

Set the Strategy

Steps 1 - 3

1. Theory of Change

Develop an influencing theory of change

1.Define desired impact

2.Outline the outcomes (key changes) that need to happen to bring about the impact

3. Do a Power Analysis to identify levers of change. Who are the allies, blockers, ‘swingers’ etc. and how can they be influenced?

4. Based on this, determine effective strategies to achieve the change and any ‘intermediate outcomes’ along the way.

5. Pull together a ‘theory of change’ or logic model diagram illustrating the impact, outcomes, and strategies.

ALL MODELS ARE WRONG BUT SOME ARE USEFUL - George Box

1. Theory of Change

13

Strategies Outcomes Impact

Provide inputs for producers

Deliver training to cooperatives on:• Management issues• Marketing/ customer service• Relationship with hotels• Technical• Gender• Disaster Risk Reduction

Provide loans & working capital to cooperatives

Advocate with policy-makers and business leaders, based on experiences from the programme

Improved technical capacity of the Belle Vue Farmers Cooperative

Improved liquidity and ability to operate under hotels’ 90 day terms, whilst providing cash payment to farmers within 3 days of grading produce

Governments and hotels change their perception of Caribbean farmers

Increases in the income of 1000 farmers and their families

Benefits to smallholders across the Caribbean

Evidence for advocacy

Measuring Change Baseline Report: Linking farmers to the hotel industry - St. Lucia

1. Theory of Change

2. Measures of Success (Examples)

Measures of Success“What will we achieve?”

Indicators“How will we know it?”

Reach Public mobilization & support

# page views, tweets, Facebook comments, etc. # actions taken # participate in events Actions by champions & spokespeople # new constituents and donors

Alliance building # of allies Power of allies Actions by & with allies

Access Shaping terms of debate (issue reframing)

# Media hits Citations of Oxfam/allies spokespeople &

reports by media, policymakers & influentials Oxfam & allies in key agenda-setting spaces

Influence Policy maker support

Public statements & actions Private statements & actions

Policy & practice change

Policy proposed, enacted, funded, defended or implemented

Bad policy blocked

2. Build your Measures of Success

Influencing Objectives

What would “success” look like?

CS actors work together to advance common goal

Collaborative actions taken among organizations (e.g., joint meetings, aligning of messages)

Public aware & cares about issue

Key decision-maker support

3. Data Collection Tips

Where possible, should be a mix of qualitative and quantitative

Collect the minimum amount of information needed

Document information on activities and outcomes

Can you automate your data collection? For example:

• Adding important data to regular meeting minutes. • Free electronic data-collection tools (email accounts, RSS feed collectors, etc.)

where you can easily forward monitoring information.

Are you already collecting this data? For example, does your advocacy lead keep records of correspondence with policy contacts?

Which different perspectives are important to include?

Make sure to collect only as much data as you can review and reflect upon in the team!

Build Learning LoopsSteps 4 - 6

Analysing and reviewing the data being collected in order to: • Assess progress towards results;

• Understand the factors that are contributing to or impeding achievement of outcomes;

• Check strategies, including partnership strategies,(re-)consider whether the right things are being done, in the right way;

• Use this to inform decisions that may increase the likelihood of achieving results

• Strengthen accountability and learning.

4. Analysis & Review

4. Analysis & Review

5. External Evaluations

Evaluations = strategic learning opportunities

• Set the TOR. What do we want to know/learn? What decisions should the evaluation drive? How will we use & share it? With who?

• Process matters. Involve & interview key stakeholders; review early findings together, share final results.

• Make it user-friendly to drive decisions. Present findings and recommendations (if not the whole report!) in accessible language. Consider multiple formats – live discussions, webinar, pamphlet, YouTube, etc.

5. External Evaluations

• Mid-course and final evaluations = objective view of effectiveness, outcomes and Oxfam’s added value

• OI Evaluation Policy:

• Required for all major investment over $250,000

• Executive summary and management response posted to Oxfam website (full report if appropriate)

• Put in budget & allocate staff time for commissioning manager

6. Using & Communicating Learning

• Use MEL “findings” to shape team planning & drive decisions

• Share with allies and other teams – replicate successes & learn from “losses”

• Share with donors and supporters to celebrate wins, build confidence & boost engagement

WHAT’S FEELS FAMILIAR AND WHAT’S NEW?

WHAT’S YOUR NEXT STEP TO GET STARTED?

oi cmel approach calp march 2015 final

Leadership & Management

influencing theory of

page views

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desired impact

mel approach example

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