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INTRAC updates November 2009
This month: M&E systems for complex organisations Training courses in 2010 Decentralised management 2008-09 Annual ReportGet the resources you need!
 
M&E systems for complex organisations
Developing M&E Systems cover
Our latest paper on issues around M&E is Developing M&E Systems for Complex Organisations: A Methodology.

The paper aims to fill a current gap - whilst there is a large and growing range of resources covering monitoring and evaluation (M&E), there is little guidance for those wishing to design M&E systems. The guidance that is available tends to focus on systems at project or programme level, rather than at country, regional or international levels.

This paper attempts to redress this imbalance by describing a methodology that can be used to design an M&E system within a complex organisation. Nigel Simister uses international NGOs (INGOs) and global networks in this paper as examples of complex organisations, but the methodology he outlines can be applied to any organisation carrying out different types of work in different locations.

 
Training courses in 2010
Gender Analysis and Planning
20-22 Jan 2010, Oxford. Course fee: £550 (non-residential) or £700 (residential)

Development planners and NGOs are increasingly committed to incorporating a gender perspective into their programmes. However, many face challenges in its practical and systematic application to their work. This course will enable you to analyse and plan development and humanitarian programmes from a gender equality perspective, and to mainstream gender issues effectively throughout your development practice.

Advanced Partner Capacity Building
1-5 Feb 2010, Oxford. Course fee: £999 (non-residential) or £1250 (residential)

This advanced level course is for individuals who already have experience in the design or implementation of capacity building initiatives. The course will provide an opportunity for facilitated reflection on past work as well as providing further, updated and specific elements for incorporation into future efforts. The sessions will contain a mix of facilitator input; live case studies; group discussions and participatory exercises. Where appropriate, participants will be provided an opportunity to apply a number of models and tools to their own situation.

Impact Assessment
17-19 Feb 2010, Oxford. Course fee: £550 (non-residential) or £700 (residential)

With increased pressure on delivery and accountability, the need has never been greater for development and civil society organisations to assess the longer-term impact of their work. This three-day course explores the issues around the challenge of measuring impact and attribution and provides very practical tools and methods.

Advocacy and Policy Influencing
22-26 Mar 2010, Oxford. Course fee: £999 (non-residential) or £1250 (residential)

This course gives participants a thorough understanding of how to influence the policy making process in their own context. You will learn skills to help you formulate and plan effective advocacy strategies. Enhance your ability to lobby decision makers, and gain confidence in the ways in which you relate to them.

 
Decentralised management
We recently ran a one-day seminar on 'Future Directions in International NGO Structures: Decentralised Management, Alliances and the Recession', attended by around 60 participants from major INGOs. The seminar included:
  • Keynote address by Dr John Hailey on the trends towards both cohesion and fragmentation in INGO structures, and reflections on what can be learnt from mainstream organisational and management research
  • Panel presentation by practitioners reflecting on lessons learnt from their organisations' restructuring experiences
  • Presentation giving a critical perspective on issues of integrity still relevant for INGOs
  • Discussion sessions between participants on the ways forward for INGOs in the future.
The executive summary of the day's presentations and discussions is now available to download.
2008-09 Annual Report
Annual Report 2008-09 cover
Our 2008-09 Annual Report has just been printed, and is now available for you to download.

Find out how we did over the year, and read highlights of our work in the areas of supporting civil society; building the capacity of organisations; examining the architecture of aid; and monitoring and evaluation.
Get the resources you need!
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Our new resources database brings together hundreds of relevant papers, notes, toolkits and reports on development issues - all available to download for free.

Search by keyword to find all the resources we have on different topics - monitoring and evaluation, capacity building, HIV/AIDS, aid effectiveness, civil society - the list is endless!

You can also find many materials in French, Russian, Portuguese and Spanish, as well as other languages.
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