Searching for Impact and Methods: NGO Evaluation Synthesis Study

A major component of this part of the study is a summary of the impact of NGO development interventions drawn from studies commissioned by ten major donors. This review encompasses 60 separate reports of 240 projects undertaken in 26 developing countries. An early and overarching conclusion, confirmed by data and interviews in all the different case study countries, is that in spite of growing interest in evaluation and growing numbers of evaluation studies, there is still a lack of firm and reliable evidence on the impact of NGO development projects and programmes. Most impact assessments rely on qualitative data and judgements and most are undertaken very rapidly. The majority have been content to report on and record outputs achieved and not outcomes achieved, or broader impact. It is within these constraints that the results presented need to be placed. [author]