CLIENT: Agora Partnerships

DATES: Aug – December 2023

COMPANY
Agora Partnerships (Agora) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering the sustainable growth of entrepreneurs in Latin America through training, connections, and resources.

CHALLENGE
Impact assessment is always a challenge, especially for smaller organizations. There are entities that prioritize the measurement of immediate outcomes, while long-term benefits are often overlooked. The focus is frequently placed on the indicators of greatest interest to donors. The real challenge lies in aligning the interests of donors with the organization’s mission and vision, ensuring that while meeting the expectations of the funders, the entity’s primary objective is not lost sight of.

APPROACH
The proposal focused on developing an integrated theory of change based on the organization’s mission and vision, encompassing the four existing programs. To this end, meetings were organized with the participation of various organization members, which facilitated the creation of key definitions for future evaluations. From the Theory of Change (ToC), both existing and new indicators of interest began to be defined. For an effective evaluation, it was essential to develop a monitoring system and structure processes that ensured the availability of relevant information for decision-making. Therefore, building the system involved not just identifying indicators but also reviewing program records to examine variables and establish processes that improved the monitoring of program activities and, subsequently, measuring their impact. This approach represented an innovative fusion between process engineering and impact evaluation.

RESULTS

We have a catalog of variables, a catalog of questions, and a catalog of indicators designed to standardize the indicators across program portfolios. Currently, we also have nine data visualization panels that facilitate the monitoring of ongoing programs. In addition, we have established a methodological process for conducting both quantitative and qualitative impact assessments.

LESSONS LEARNT

Impact measurement is a dynamic process that must constantly evolve, adapting to changes in the social and environmental context. Therefore, it cannot remain unchanged. However, it is crucial to establish certain common standards among programs that serve as a reference point to enable comparisons and facilitate understanding of which practices should continue and which should cease. This underscores the importance of having flexible measurement systems that also have a solid and coherent foundation, minimal if necessary, for the effective conduct of these analyses