WaterAid’s Experience of Using VfM
Background:
• New Global Strategy focus on ‘influencing’
– Role of both of Service delivery and policy
advocacy
• Importance of being able to assess our
effectiveness
• PME focus on learning, accountability and
outcomes
WaterAid’s Experience of Using VfM
Approach taken:
• Opportunity to work with NEF and try SROI
approach to measuring outcomes which are
typically hard to measure and value
• Planned to look at work in one or two
Country Programmes and identify outcomes
for inclusion.
• Key criterion: availability of existing evidence
and data.
WaterAid’s Experience of Using VfM
What worked well:
• Process of building up evidence base from
outcomes.
• Applying a structured (rigorous) process
• Example of applying a theory of change
• Helped clarify and evidence the link between
policy advocacy and service delivery work
WaterAid’s Experience of Using VfM
Challenges:
• Number of potential outcomes that we tried to
work up from project/programme level did not
work up.
• Problems of weak evidence and no clear linkage
between lower and higher level outcomes
• Looking at a few examples led to questioning on
whether we had a ‘body of evidence’
• Too many assumptions at higher levels (RoI)
WaterAid’s Experience of Using VfM
What did we learn:
• Developing a body of evidence is
fundamental– having a methodology is
helpful but it must be applied in practice
• Use of information to different groups and
importance of analysis.
• Using examples to illustrate
• Addressing contribution (and disagregation)