At MDF, we are deeply committed to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Contributing to
progress toward the SDGs is a highly complex undertaking that requires constant reflection and
adaptation to evolving global challenges.
In this ever-evolving environment, MDF and its partners are dedicated to addressing society's most
pressing issues, and support organisations like yours in evaluating and improving their impact.
We are here to support you in exploring, recognising, and articulating the true impact of your
programmes. We understand that tackling issues like inequality and climate change can be
unpredictable and often marked by intangible progress. This very nature makes it challenging to
measure both the pace and magnitude of change. To guide you on this transformative journey, we
provide you with a compass, offering answers to critical questions:
Achieving a meaningful impact on the SDGs necessitates collective efforts, drawing upon the strengths of governments, international, national, and local organisations, grassroots movements, donors, the private sector, and researchers. It also demands unwavering commitment from key stakeholders, ensuring their active involvement throughout the challenging journey toward ambitious goals. In this context, we work hand in hand with you, fostering collaboration through inclusive evaluation processes. We firmly believe that evaluations should be empowering opportunities to capture and learn from the effects of your efforts, facilitating participatory sense-making and evidence-based decision-making.
We are prepared to collaborate with you, crafting a robust and practical evaluation process. This
process ensures that you gain valuable insights from your past performance, meeting your learning,
accountability, and reporting needs.
At MDF, we understand the variety in projects, programs, policies, partnerships - and each has its
unique start, journey, and goals. We perform evaluations at different stages of programme
implementation, considering the diverse learning and accountability needs, and we have specialized
in the following types of evaluations:
Programme and project evaluation
to assess the design, implementation and outcome of a programme and/or project at national, regional or international level.
Policy evaluation
to review a donor, governmental, sectorial or international organisation policy and determine whether adjustments are needed in the policy design or resources allocation.
Strategy evaluation
to assess and analyse the effectiveness and performance of a business or organization's strategic plan and its associated objectives and goals. We look at the strategic management process and help in determining whether the chosen strategies are working as intended or need adjustments.
Organisation and Partnership evaluation
to examine the functioning of a partnership, network or alliance and determine whether all necessary elements, such as the steering structure, processes, coordination and collaboration are properly in place, as well as ensuring that these are adequately maintained.
Portfolio and funds evaluation
to assess and analyse a collection of related projects, programs, or initiatives undertaken by an organization, or by a set of different organisations working for a specific fund.
Utility Focused and Inclusive: The evaluation needs to be first and foremost useful for our clients.
At MDF, we carry out evaluations that are driven by a strong utility-focus that goes beyond data and
evidence - we always ask ourselves: what does our client really want to know, and how can we
achieve this together? We engage with stakeholders throughout the evaluation process to ensure
client involvement and to gather diverse perspectives, ensuring they take ownership of the process
and of the evaluation findings.
We are not content with delivering just evaluation results; we intentionally design and implement
evaluations to provide you with useful insights, which together we transform into learning for your
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organisation and programme. These learnings and actionable recommendations will help you improve performance, meet accountability requirements, and increase the visibility of your results.
Methodologically Sound: We bring analytical rigor to ensure validity and reliability of data
At MDF, we believe that all evaluations must have a high degree of methodological rigour. We
carefully select and adapt proven evaluation methods to seamlessly fit the nature, requirements, and
practical nuances of your intervention. We are dedicated to enhancing your programs' effectiveness
through both qualitative and quantitative lenses, acknowledging the diverse learning needs of our
clients.
MDF employs a combination of innovative analytical methodologies, such as Most Significant
Change, Outcome Harvesting, Outcome Mapping, and Contribution Analysis. We also apply and
adapt analytical models and tools such as Capacity Works, Alliance Thermometer and Circle of
Coherence, especially when evaluating partnerships, networks and alliances. When conducting
theory-based evaluations, we also review the project/programme logic by constructing (or re-
constructing) its Theory of Change, together with our clients.
Attractive and collaborative: Maximising Efficiency, Minimising Burden
Undergoing an evaluation can be a significant investment of your time and energy and MDF
understands the value of your resources. That's why our evaluations are designed to be attractive –
not just visually, but in terms of engagement and efficiency. While we work with you and not just for
you, we always aim to minimise the burden on your team while ensuring you can take ownership of
the evaluation and its findings.
We design evaluation processes that are not only insightful, but also fun. We do this by mastering
online facilitation skills in remote evaluations, utilizing platforms such as Mural, Mentimeter, and
Kahoot to collect data and encourage group discussions, or by organising collaborative "Sense-
making workshops" post-data collection, where the evaluation findings are critically reviewed with our
clients to enrich evidence and shape final recommendations.
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Would you like to know more about MDF evaluation services? Connect with the MDF Evaluation
Team today!
