"The NRF must continually demonstrate the relevance and value of its activities and the judicious use of the public funds entrusted to it. The organisation recognises the demands for greater accountability in the way it conducts its affairs for the sake of those who govern and fund it and for the sake of those it serves. The continuous and critical assessment of the performance of the NRF and of those supported by the organisation is a key competency. The responsibility for these two divergent assessment functions is vested in the Evaluation Centre."

"The advent of the IDEAS, a voluntary, charitable membership based organization, is timely. A new development consensus has emerged, focused on sustained poverty reduction driven by economic growth; the removal of social and structural constraints to economic and human development; reforms that are owned by those who must carry them out; and an intent, especially in the public sector, to manage for results and measure for performance. In parallel, citizens in developing and developed countries alike, expect more efficient, more accountable and more transparent government and public sector programs and projects that have measurably greater development effectiveness than hitherto. Thus there is need to renew old and established evaluation mechanisms to help deliver results to ensure accountability and learn from mistakes."

"The primary goal of the European Evaluation Society is to promote theory, practice and utilization of high quality evaluation especially, but not exclusively, within the European countries. This goal is obtained by bringing together academics and practitioners from all over Europe and from any professional sector, thus creating a forum where all participants can benefit from the co-operation and bridge building. The society was founded in the Hague in 1994. The first official board was elected in autumn 1995 and started its work in January 1996."

There is often confusion about what M&E entails. The purpose of this M&E Overview is to strengthen awareness and interest in M&E, and to clarify what it entails. You will find an overview of a sample of M&E tools, methods, and approaches outlined here, including their purpose and use; advantages and disadvantages; costs, skills, and time required; and key references. Those illustrated here include several data collection methods, analytical frameworks, and types of evaluation and review. The M&E Overview discusses: Performance indicators The logical framework approach Theory-based evaluation Formal surveys Rapid appraisal methods Participatory methods Public expenditure tracking surveys Cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analysis Impact evaluation This list is not comprehensive, nor is it intended to be. Some of these tools and approaches are complementary; some are substitutes. Some have broad applicability, while others are quite narrow in their uses. The choice of which is appropriate for any given context will depend on a range of considerations. These include the uses for which M&E is intended, the main stakeholders who have an interest in the M&E findings, the speed with which the information is needed, and the cost.

"The Australasian Evaluation Society (AES) is a professional organisation for people involved in evaluation. The AES has over 700 members involved in all aspects of evaluation and performance measurement. Members include evaluation practitioners, managers, teachers and students from all levels of government, educational institutions, research agencies, community organisations, businesses and other interested individuals. Members meet regularly through Regional Groups centred in major cities in Australia and New Zealand. Professional development workshops are conducted throughout Australasia on a regular basis."

"The Society is a Canada-wide non-profit bilingual association dedicated to the advancement of evaluation theory and practice."

"The 'African Evaluation Guidelines' is a working document being jointly prepared by national evaluation associations and networks in Africa. It is a very useful checklist for anyone preparing to undertake an evaluation or wishing to assess the completeness of an evaluation study. It is also useful to people negotiating contracts to do an evaluation. African evaluators are kindly requested to read the guidelines and send in comments either directly to me or through your national associations or networks."

"The African Evaluation Association (AfrEA) was founded in 1999 in response to a growing demand for information sharing, advocacy and advanced capacity building in evaluation in Africa. It is an umbrella organisation for national evaluation associations and networks in Africa. It is also a resource for individuals in countries where national bodies do not exist."

"The Cultural Reading began as text conversations among a group of professional evaluators who share expertise in and concern for issues of cultural diversity and cultural context in evaluation. The purpose of the cultural reading was to review The Program Evaluation Standards (2nd edition) with respect to coverage of cultural diversity, treatment of cultural concerns, and attention to cultural competence. This conversation was intended to build knowledge among Diversity Committee members and other relevant stakeholders within the AEA; to identify specific passages that are in need of revision; and to gather ideas on relevant resources and suggested changes for input to The Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation. Throughout this reflection, culture is broadly defined, inclusive of race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, social class, disability, language, and educational level or disciplinary background. It includes both individual characteristics and those of a group or collective (e.g., community or organizational culture)."

"APRIL 2005 ” Family Health International has released an important new resource for improving the lives of orphans and vulnerable children. The guide, Conducting a Participatory Situation Analysis of Orphans and Vulnerable Children Affected by HIV/AIDS: Guidelines and Tools, is a powerful tool that builds on experiences from FHI's work in the developing world. Conducting a situation analysis is a complex and delicate process. It gathers and analyzes information to guide planning and action. Done properly, it can help build consensus and among key stakeholders. Collecting data that is not directly linked to specific programs helps identify strengths and weaknesses in national and sub-national responses. Because this resource is focused on children, it features a special emphasis on ethical considerations for information-gathering. The six-chapter, 210-page guide offers sample consent forms, baseline surveys and interview guides, which can be adapted for local use. It was funded by the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Reliefe through the U.S. Agency for International Development. It was written by Renee DeMarco with FHI's OVC Team. The accompanying French edition, released in April 2006, was prepared by the nongovernmental organization Plan International."

"This website is developed by Wageningen International. Our objectives of PPM&E - Managing and Learning for Impact are to: * help build the capacity of individuals and organisations to effectively implement PPM&E systems (courses, advisory services, evaluation). * contribute to innovation in the field of PPM&E / managing and learning for impact. * provide practical web based resource materials, experience sharing and learning with this PPM&E resource portal. The first part of this website ("theories and backgrounds", and "methodologies and approaches") is in the process of being updated. The second part of this website provides a wide range of links to documents and websites which have been sorted in relation to a large number of subject areas. Though there is a lot, it is obviously not complete. We appreciate recommendations of resources that have not been included yet. Please use the comment boxes for this purpose."

"This Guide has been written to help project managers and M&E staff improve the quality of M&E in IFAD-supported projects. The Guide focuses on how M&E can support project management and engage project stakeholders in understanding project progress, learning from achievements and problems, and agreeing on how to improve both strategy and operations."