Community-based versus donor-driven M&E Many project teams feel that they are stuck between donor-driven M&E systems and systems that are community based. This is a false division. Though many donors now mandate use of certain predetermined indicators, they do not object when teams include other project-specific indicators to collect all needed information. In other words, it is possible for M&E systems to include both donor-required indicators and indicators identified by the community and other local stakeholders.
Though community-selected indicators cannot usually be specified at the proposal submission stage, they can be added to the M&E plan when it is finalized during the first quarter of the project. Most donors welcome these additions and also will be interested to learn from the community-selected indicators. Include these findings in your reports and document the process of community-based M&E design. It is our role to demonstrate the importance of community participation to any donor who does not yet value it.
