1) The document discusses challenges and lessons learned in designing and evaluating impact-oriented projects. It emphasizes moving beyond just planning activities to also focusing on intended and unintended outcomes and effects. 2) It provides an example results chain/theory of change diagram for a media project aiming to strengthen democracy. The impact is democratization, with an outcome of local media providing more economic and budget information, achieved through training and exchange programs. 3) Key risks of an outcome orientation include narrow thinking and increased bureaucracy, but providing flexibility and adapting to changes can help address these risks. Evaluations should balance impact and activity quality analyses, and foster critical thinking to improve projects.

1. Impact Orientation
Designing and Evaluating Impact-oriented projects:
Some Challenges and Lessons Learnt
11th FoME Symposium, October 1-2 , 2015
Jens Koy, Freelance Evaluator, Bonn

2. How can foundations ensure
long-term effects and lasting
changes?
How can impact be integrated
into project design?

3. Results Chain / Theory of Change
Impact
Outcome
Planned / unplanned
Positive / negative
Output
Activities
Input
“controlled “
by the organization / foundation”

4. Example
Impact Democratization
The role of the media is strengthend
(information & watch dog function)
Outcome Media in county X provide more information
about national economy and national budget
Output 30 journalists trained
Activities 10 workshops
5 foreign exchange scholarships….
Input 300. 000 €
2 experts

5. Outcome-Indicator
Outcome:
Media in county X
provide more
information about
national economy and
national budget
Indicator:
In country X the extend and
quality of reporting
(concerning national economy
and budget) in one national
and two regional newspapers
are increased.
(SMART enough? Baseline?)

6. Strength of Outcome-orientation
• State of the art to foster effectivity and
efficiency of programs
• Advanced concept: Not only planning! More
emphasize on the effects / outcome of
activities!
• Vision: More flexibility for the
implementation of the project. Activities can
be adapted to changing needs!

7. Risks of Outcome-orientation &
„Solutions“
• Risk of narrow minded thinking
-> open minded attitude - reality is not linear
• Risk of bureaucracy
-> provide more flexibility + resources for
adaptations to changing contexts
• Risk of information overkill
-> Reduction to what you need & analyse;
different stakeholders have different
(information) needs

8. Lessons learnt - Evaluations
• Balance between “impact orientation” and
“analysis of the quality of activities”
• Identify focus points of interest; don’t get lost in
questions, structures and criteria.
• Foster more critical thinking in evaluations to
learn more about organizational blindness and
potential to improve projects
• Allocate more resources for implementation of
the recommendations into the practical project
work.

9. Thank you very much for your attention