The ballet of M&E and M-O-N-E-Y: using M&E in your program’s donor relations

Establishing and nurturing donor relations is critical for programs aimed at making a positive social impact – and M&E can help

Many programs and projects aimed at (co-)creating positive social impact – which may fall under the umbrella of international development, community development, nonprofit/civil society, corporate social responsibility (CSR), or social entrepreneurship, among others – rely on donations and grants to finance their activities. Without this philanthropy, the programs would not be able to exist, let alone make an impact on people and the environment.

This makes fundraising – and, more broadly, the nurturing of donor relations – critical to the success of these programs. Ah, fundraising, the art of convincing people (whether in their individual capacity or as leaders of donor institutions) to part ways with their hard-earned treasures for a noble cause.

What if I told you that monitoring and evaluation (M&E) could be your silent partner in this endeavor?

Let’s embark on a journey into the realm of M&E as a not-so-secret weapon for your program’s fundraising endeavors. Picture it as a classical ballet production – a dance musical partnership between M&E and M-O-N-E-Y, if you will. (Adopting a high-society British accent as you read is optional but will add to the effect.)

The dance between M&E and M-O-N-E-Y

Opening pas de deux (adagio): ‘The Prelude of Pledges’

Got the ballet production pictured in your mind? Imagine that it’s being presented at a fancy fundraising event. (The other option is less romantic but probably more realistic: the recorded version is playing in the background while you type up a fundraising application or proposal on your computer. See? Much less dreamy.)

The room is filled with potential supporters, and you, the conductor, step up to the podium.

With a slight grin, you raise your baton and start to weave the story of your program or project – the need to which it responds, its activities, the results achieved, the lives transformed. The story’s coherence and credibility are facilitated by your program’s robust theory of change (ToC), an essential element of a fit-for-purpose M&E system.

As your words work their magic, the symphony of donations begins to play, with M&E (in the form of the ToC) as the unassuming composer behind the scenes.

Variation 1: ‘The Charisma of Confidence’

Now, still at the elaborate fundraising event (or in pajamas in front of your computer), you’re leading the orchestra into an allegro as you make your pitch (err, hammer out the proposal), exuding an air of confidence. Your poise is backed not just by the eloquence and rigor afforded to your program story by your program’s ToC but also by the high-quality evidence that supports each claim you make.

Evidence that has been generated from your program’s fit-for-purpose M&E system.

M&E is thus once again your secret ingredient, the pinch of assurance that elevates your proposal from mere words to a captivating melody. With a wink and a nod to the carefully collected and interpreted evidence, you’re subtly communicating “We're not just guessing; we’re strategizing, gathering data, learning, and making evidence-based course corrections…and it's paying off.”

Donors, keen on investing in surefooted initiatives, find your confidence contagious, and they reach for the money that they want to throw at your program – but first, due diligence!

Variation 2: ‘The Dance of Due Diligence’

Just like classical ballet, fundraising is a delicate but robust dance, and donors want to ensure they’re partnering with a reliable and responsible partner.

Here again, M&E has your back, serving both as a reflection of, and as a producer of evidence of, your project’s credibility. By having a fit-for-purpose M&E system in place, you’re showcasing your commitment to robust results measurement and related management, analysis, and follow-up. Furthermore, through M&E activities such as value-for-money assessments (a type of evaluation), you’re proving that your program or project delivers efficiently, effectively, and cost-effectively, and is facilitative of equitable outcomes.

You're sending a subtle message: “We take our mission seriously, and we’ve got the systems and the data to prove it.” Donors, much like discerning dance partners, are more likely to take the leap when they see the steady rhythm of M&E guiding your steps.

But, of course, there are many other due diligence boxes that your program will have to check off (financial systems, policies related to anti-corruption, anti-bribery, anti-human trafficking, measures to prevent fraud, codes of conduct, privacy policies, measures to avoid conflicts of interest, whistleblower procedures…the list is pretty long).

Get through all of those as well, and now donors are throwing money at you!

Variation 3: ‘The Intrigue of Impact’

Ah, the allure of impact! Donors, much like the choreographic masters of classical ballet, appreciate the application of strict methods and the emphasis on form in their productions. Ultimately, they want to see tangible results of their generosity.

Enter M&E, the graceful arabesque or spirited allegro that makes the picture of change robust and compelling. Through evidence-backed reports, elegant infographics, and outcome stories grounded in feedback from program participants, you unveil the transformations brought about by your project. It’s like presenting a ballet masterpiece – except instead of dance moves, it’s numbers and narrative and accounts of the lived experience of the people whose lives your program touches that intertwine to create a captivating and convincing story.

Donors, intrigued by this exquisite tale, remain drawn to your cause like moths to a flame. M&E has helped you ensure a stable inflow of funds.

Final pas de deux (coda): ‘The Finale of Faithful Supporters’

In this grand ballet of fundraising, M&E’s influence doesn’t end with helping secure and execute on donations. It gracefully lingers, building a loyal community of supporters. As you consistently provide evidence of your project’s progress and impact, donors become part of a narrative that’s larger than themselves. They watch as their contributions ripple through lives, and they become faithful patrons of your cause, eagerly awaiting the next act in this delightful performance of change.

Conclusion – and then it’s over to you!

So, as you dance through the world of fundraising and donor relations, remember that M&E is more than just a backstage player – it’s the composer of story structure, the choreographer of confidence, the writer of impact, and the maestro of meaningful connections, all of which help ensure the healthy and steady inflow of donations that is so capital (no pun intended) in successfully managing a social impact program.

But to really bring this to life in your project’s M&E system, action is needed – so take it! Practical tips and templates will be exclusively available to the savvy, action-oriented leaders and M&E specialists who access our courses and/or who’ve been accepted into ‘Reimagine M&E: The Workshop’.

Embrace M&E’s rigor, let it guide your steps, and watch as your fundraising journey turns into a symphony of support!

Update of 23 April 2024: Please share your thoughts and experience by commenting or leaving an emoticon reaction at the bottom of this LinkedIn post or by hitting ‘reply’ to any of RM3’s emails (and if you’re not receiving our emails, join the list by signing up here or by requesting access to a free resource).

Photo credit:

Kazuo Ota on Unsplash

Suggestion for how to cite this article (using APA 7 style):

Shejavali, K. (2023, August 1). The dance between M&E and M-O-N-E-Y: using M&E in your program’s donor relations. Blog post. RM3 Consulting. Available at: https://www.rm3resources.com/blog/ME-in-donor-relations (accessed: [insert the date that you last accessed this article at the link provided]).