Measuring impact

It's great when we get it all right, but some of our most effective work emerges from trial and error. Using data, analysis, and consultation with a range of people—from community members to government officials—we continually adjust our approach for greater impact.

As a development organization we must be accountable not only to our donors, but also to the people on whose behalf we work—the people at the center of our programs. In late 2005, Oxfam established a department dedicated to learning, evaluation, and accountability. Since that time we have been making increased investments in this area. Now all long-term programs, major campaigns, and key innovation projects have a rigorous monitoring, evaluation, and learning system. Most include:

  1. A baseline or assessment of the situation prior to intervention
  2. A monitoring system with quarterly or midterm reports documenting progress in relation to plans
  3. Annual reviews that document aggregate evidence and that bring stakeholders together for reflections on progress
  4. An evaluation every three to four years and/or when an initiative finishes

Interested in learning even more about how Oxfam measures impact? Explore our research, evaluations, and impact reports.

Oxfam Impact

  1. Impact update

    In a Dry Land, Health Workers Help Malnourished Neighbors Survive

    Forty volunteer extension workers in the Afar region of Ethiopia were trained by Oxfam partner APDA to help people suffering from acute malnutrition. Their treatment targets children and young mothers struggling to breastfeed newborn babies.

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Measuring impact: Case studies

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Global Arms Trade Treaty

In 2012, a historic arms trade treaty derailed. Oxfam assessed what we needed to do to get it ratified. Eight months later, the first international arms trade treaty passed.

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Saving lives in El Salvador

In El Salvador, the rains of October 2011 were catastrophic, but the emergency response was swift and effective—the culmination of years of advocacy and training.

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Mining in East Asia

Development work is all context—and contexts change—which is why monitoring and evaluating our work are critical: so we can change course as needed to achieve impact.