1. Outcome Harvesting Principles in Practice
Maastricht, Netherlands
29 September 13: :15

2. Added Value of Outcome Harvesting for Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning in the Complexity of Dutch Civil Society’s Development Cooperation Wolfgang Richert Consulting

3. ‘Dialogue and Dissent’ partnerships in NL (2016-2020)
Dutch Ministry with 25 alliances/consortia
€185 million per year
Strategic Partnership between the Minister and the Alliances
Support CSOs/NGOs in developing countries  increase their influence on policy  countervailing forces and constructive criticism for government and market  give the broader population there a chance at a better life

4. ‘Dialogue and Dissent’ partnerships in NL (2016-2020)
No logical framework as planning tool
But Theory of Change
Expected outcomes
Assumptions
NGOs free to propose M&E system
Use of IATI* is mandatory
* International Aid Transparency Initiative
RW-G: Spell out what IATI means.

5. Lobbying & Advocacy programs
Deal with changes in context
Dynamic, unpredictable behaviour ..
... of people, organisations, systems
Thus, relationships of cause and effect are unknown
 Complex

6. M&E of a simple intervention
Vision
IMPACT
OUTCOMES
Plan
OUTPUTS
ACTIVITIES
INPUTS
Time

7. M&E of a complex intervention
OUTCOME
Vision
OUTPUT
ACTIVITY
OUTCOME
Time
OUTCOME
OUTPUT
OUTCOME
ACTIVITY
OUTPUT
OUTPUT
INPUTS
OUTCOME
ACTIVITY
OUTCOME
INPUTS
ACTIVITY
OUTPUT
INPUTS
INPUTS
Plan

8. Lobbying & Advocacy programs
Actor focussed
Lobbyists from industry target parliaments
NGOs aim to change industry, governments, consumers
Greenpeace campaign to stop Shell exploring the Arctic
Non of these practitioners focusses on the outputs (Greenpeace video) …
… but on how to use these tools to influence the targets

9. Lobbying & Advocacy in Dutch Development Cooperation
Strong focus on outcomes as defined by OH
For example: Green Livelihoods Alliance
Example of assumption: Confrontation and Cooperation together influence governments and private sector
Example of expected outcome: Companies integrate ecological and social standard in their policy and practice
Country programs have ToC, long-term and short-term expected outcomes, pathways of change

10. OH in MEL in NL Strategic Partnerships
OH is useful because it has the same language and focus as the programs and the practitioners
Much easier to engage program staff (than in logframes)
Expected outcomes (ToC) ↔
Achieved outcomes (ToC)
Pathway of change (ToC) ↔
Revealed patterns of change (OH)
1. Ensure Usefulness
2. Harvest social change outcomes
RW-G: Format the principles because the text overlaps
5. Facilitate the identification and formulation of outcomes
6. Nurture appropriate participation
9. Reveal patterns of change

11. Basic design of an outcome statement
Outcome: Who changed what, when and where?
Relevance: Why is this relevant in the light of the organization’s ToC?
Contribution: How did the organization contribute to this outcome?
2. Harvest social change outcomes

12. Example Expected outcome at alliance level:
Companies integrate ecological and social standards in their policy and practice
Expected outcome at country level (Liberia)
( ) Increased respect and recognition of tenure rights of local communities by concessionaires
(2017) Company XX is responsive to concerns and complaints from communities about its operations, and the company is addressing grievances against its operations in landscape YY

13. Example Virtual future outcomes:
In 2017, company XX responded to complaints from community AA and stopped converting forests into plantations in landscape YY
In 2018, company XY responded to complaints from community AB and stopped polluting the river in landscape YY
In 2019, the provincial government in YY withdrew concessions for 10,000 ha of plantation expansion
In 2020, the provincial government in YY started a process of recognising the land rights of local communities

14. The relationship between ToCs and the harvested outcomes
Demonstrated outcomes
Social actors influenced to change
Contributionn

15. 9. Reveal patterns of change
Example
Useful for learning
Did we achieve what we wanted or aimed for?
Is what we achieved relevant?
To what extent did our strategy work?
Are our assumptions valid?
Short term and long term
CSO/Team level  Country level  Alliance level
1. Ensure Usefulness
9. Reveal patterns of change
10. Learn OH experiantially
Principles 2 - 8

16. Challenge A quick learning cycle is useful for: New teams New programs
New issues
New approaches / strategies
New countries
Implementing staff new to lobby and advocacy

17. Example Useful for accountability
Achieved outcomes  within the alliance & reporting to Ministry
Adapted planning  reporting to Ministry
IATI:
Create outcome categories
Then report on # of outcomes
1. Ensure Usefulness

18. Challenges Develop high quality planning / ToCs
Design one outcome harvest format and process in multi-country, multi-issue program
Support harvesters “in all these countries”
Support the learning (cycle) in teams for which L&A and OH are already new
Design data base for 500+ outcomes
In other words, design OH while no experiantial learning with OH