1. 2011
Ministry of Social
Development
Janae Bushman
[MONITORING AND
EVALUATION TRAINING TO
BUILD NGO MANAGEMENT
CAPACITY]
Helping NGOs registered with the Ministry of Social Development produce result based data to include
in funding proposals, become more effective, and increase transparency.

2. Closing the Gap: Building NGO Management Capacity Janae Bushman
Promoter Name
The Ministry of Social Development; the Ministry of Planning and Foreign Affairs
Sector
Social Development
Improving the delivery of protection and enhancement services in the social development sector
can propel people out of the poverty cycle. This decreases the number of people in the poverty
cycle and furthers the development of society as a whole.
Geographical Scope
Amman, Zarqa, Irbid
Location
Jordan
Executive Summary
The recent efforts to update the national poverty reduction strategy in Jordan depict the
government’s prerogative to address the root cause of poverty as opposed to merely the
symptoms of poverty in Jordan. Many of the 1,800 NGOs registered with the Ministry of Social
Development share in this same vision of sustainable development; however, communication
between NGOs and the Ministry of Social Development is limited. As a result, there is little
accountability in terms of results based performance between NGOs, the government, and the
community.
As a result, stagnation can form in the field of development causing repetition of mistakes,
duplication of work, inaccurate data collection, lack of accountability, and undermining of
collaborative efforts. To help channel productive efforts, there is a need for more focused and
advanced training for NGOs to become effective active partners in the community. Once they are
established as successful partners with the community, government, and international
community, they will have the legitimacy to gain political and financial support, allowing them
to expand and grow.
Benefits
The success of development programs depends in part on the effectiveness of program
operations and the degree to which resources are used efficiently. It is imperative for both the
NGO community and the government to build collaborative efforts to improve the strength of the
NGO sector in Jordan. This will be a win-win situation for all stakeholders as NGO management
capacity improves, progression in the field will occur on a holistic and sustainable level.
A systematic monitoring and evaluation system has four main benefits: 1) Policy Making; 2)
Decision Support System; 3) Early Warning System; and 4) A Tool for Change.

3. Closing the Gap: Building NGO Management Capacity Janae Bushman
Seeing the impact of NGO programs can not only affect day to day decisions of the NGOs, but
also the government at large. Policies hinge on the work being done in the field. For example,
increased productivity out of the NGO sector decreases the burden of the Ministry of Social
Development in providing social services. Additionally, NGO productivity encourages local and
international participation in the field of social development and changes attitudes towards social
development issues.
Monitoring and evaluation systems are a way to legitimize NGOs as an effective tool for creating
social changes. As NGOs collect reliable data through results based monitoring and evaluation
activities, consistently achieve goals, and report their progress, transparency and the ability of
NGOs increases their legitimacy greatly. This is crucial to the existence of NGOs as they rely on
funding and receiving funding relies on demonstrating capabilities.
Process
Establishing a system for Monitoring and Evaluation will be done in three different phases:
1) Support building/ changing NGO culture
2) Data collection, management, and analysis
3) Performance Management and Proposal Funding
During the first phase, the NGO management team will need to catch the vision as to inspire a
change in behaviour. Despite the passion and patience of many NGO staff members, often they
lack the foresight into how to take their NGO to the next level. Important management skills are
necessary for them to obtain the funding they want to expand NGO facilities or services. They
must first understand the importance of gaining business, data collection, program analysis, and
proposal writing skills. Once they desire those skills, then it is possible to progress to phase two,
training.
The training must have fundamental facilities in place before it can start. All NGOs under the
Ministry of Social Development will be assessed to determine whether office computers and
their Microsoft Excel program need updating.
Once facilities are in place, NGO management team will attend trainings on data collection skills
focusing on performance indicators and goal setting. A subsequent training session will focus on
collecting qualitative and quantitative data. This will be followed by data management/storage
skills and training on how to report data. Trainings will also interject business skills and policy
or program management skills throughout the sequence of sessions. Training will be in
compliance with the upcoming international framework of principles, guidelines, and conditions
required from government and donors as will be dictated by the OECD 4th
High Level Forum on
Aid Effectiveness later this year (see initiative for advance learning on
http://www.devex.com/en/blogs/full-disclosure/transparency-on-the-agenda-as-we-approach-
hlf4). In addition, the Istanbul CSO Development Effectiveness Principles will be taken into
account when developing the training.
The third and final stage aims to use the accurate results produced in the prior stage to evaluate
NGO programs relevant to: resource capacity, goal attainment, efficiency of service delivery,

4. Closing the Gap: Building NGO Management Capacity Janae Bushman
gaps in client’s needs, and comparative impact. With this information, NGO management can
then approach donors with legitimacy and concrete evidence of their capacity to continue
services, expand services, or improve facilities. Legitimacy is crucial to maintaining or
obtaining financial and political support from the international community. Without this support
NGOs will not survive. When the majority of NGOs in Jordan struggle to obtain support,
progress in the field of development is hampered, even ceasing progress all together.
Objectives
1. Create an early warning system that identifies strengths and weaknesses and provides
constant feedback on the project implementation process in relation to program goals.
2. Establish a culture within the social development sector that uses result based data as the
basis for programmatic and policy decision making.
3. Demonstrate program impact through analysis and reporting of results based data.
4. Provide NGOs with the capacity to gain substantial funding for expansion.
5. Create a system of accountability between NGOs, the government and the community.
Components
Phase One: Vision Building
Goal: Solicit support from the NGO community by demonstrating the need for monitoring and
evaluation system and training.
1. Require all NGOs that register with the MoSD to set indicators and report clear and
accurate data according to these indicators.
2. Send out pamphlets to all NGOs describing the benefits of improving management skills
and informing them of a preliminary training session to explain more about what skills
they can receive through MoSD future training sessions.
3. Provide initial training session describing the benefits of improving management skills.
Phase Two: Assessment and Training
Goal: Provide the tools necessary for NGOS to carry out Monitoring and Evaluation activities.
1. Assess which computers need to be updated at NGOs registered under the Ministry of
Social development.
2. Provide Microsoft Excel for all NGOs to input, store, and organize the raw data.
3. Provide a Monitoring and Evaluation specialists that will be available to assist each NGO
with goal setting, data collection, data management, and data analysis skills.
4. Provide a Business Model specialist to assist NGOs.
5. Provide Project Proposal specialists to assist NGOs.
6. Develop training sessions that follow effective development principles and standards.
7. Provide a week-long training work shop once every month for the first year and then
once every three months for the subsequent two years. Training should be provided for
three NGO staff members to update and reinforce learned skills.

5. Closing the Gap: Building NGO Management Capacity Janae Bushman
8. Provide alternative training options for NGOs that cannot make it to the training sessions.
Phase Three: Using the Data
Goal: Data Analysis will help secure funds to expand program activities and increase
accountability within the social development sector.
1. Ensure that the finalized data from each NGO can be collected and compared by the
Ministry of Social Development.
2. Penalize those who do not report accurate data.
3. Award those who submit project proposals.
4. Encourage NGOs to re-evaluate goals on a bi-annual basis.
5. Observe and Evaluate NGOs on a monthly basis to ensure that they are incorporating the
main principles of Monitoring and Evaluation.
Duration
Three years with monthly evaluations
Current Status
Needs Funding
Total Cost
300,000 JD
Expected Results
1. Increase the overall efficiency and effectiveness of NGO programs affiliated with the
Ministry of Social Development.
2. Instil the practice of using monitoring and evaluation principles to reach program
objectives.
3. Increase transparency between aid related agencies, the government, the public, and the
international community.
4. Enhance communication regarding program progress or issues between NGOs and the
Ministry of Social Development.
5. Improve project design with the log frame tool (logical framework) and systematic
selection of indicator.
6. Encourage stakeholder participation in the project design state in order to create more
ownership of the project, ensure the sustainability of benefits, and increase
accountability.
7. Increase the number of NGOs submitting project proposals and receiving funding to
expand services or facilities.
8. Long-term results should demonstrate a holistic development in NGO capacity building
efforts in Jordan.
9. Increased quantity and quality of social services provided to the public through NGOs.
10. Increased activity and performance from the 1,800 NGOs registered with the Ministry of
Social Development.

6. Closing the Gap: Building NGO Management Capacity Janae Bushman