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When developing an influencing strategy, it’s useful to begin by clearly identifying the issue which needs addressing, and then analysing its causes and possible solutions. For example, it might be gaps in the current laws or perhaps the need to address new forms of violence (e.g. online violence). Think about what needs to change, who needs to change, and the possible routes to effect change. There are many tools available to undertake a problem analysis, including a SWOT analysis, fishbone diagram, or problem tree analysis.

Understanding the local context, including cultural, social…

Monitoring and evaluating capacity building efforts can support programmes to learn and build from what has worked well and what could be improved. Programmes should consider conducting pre- and post-training assessments; participant feedback surveys; self-assessment tools, training facilitator surveys; satisfaction surveys; and progress reports. These should be linked to baselines that are set at the start of the capacity building process. Employing multiple evaluation methods in the short, medium and long-term supports comprehensive evaluations which can capture learning and be used to…

EVAWG coalitions do important work for ending VAWG. However, their activities, how these are implemented, and the impact of these are often not recorded. Initiatives supporting EVAWG coalition strengthening could fund and provide capacity strengthening to support coalitions to develop stronger monitoring and evaluation and lessons sharing plans.

Building a culture of learning and collaboration takes time. It involves encouraging open dialogue and knowledge sharing among a diversity of voices, from programme staff and volunteers to external stakeholders, ensuring that every voice is heard and valued. Feedback and learning should be actively sought through regular sessions where people can discuss successes, challenges and lessons learned in a safe, supportive environment. Ideally, these lessons should be documented and shared more widely so that others can learn. The Spotlight Initiative aimed to build a culture of learning, both…

People and organisations learn in different ways, and it is important to share learning in ways that are accessible and tailored to target audiences, particularly practitioners and policymakers working to address violence. Various methods can be used to share findings, including developing learning briefs and video explainers, in-person group meetings, communities of practice (e.g. via Spotlight Initiative’s SHINE hub), dialogues, learning circles and spaces for reflective practice.

Determining the most suitable activities to capture learning in VAWG programmes requires careful consideration of time, resources, and the types of data needed. Ensure the chosen methods - whether interviews, surveys, observational studies, communities of practice, or another approach - fit the programme timelines and budget constraints. The following diagram and table helps to understand the overlaps and different methods used for M&E and learning.

M&E
M&E + Learning
Learning

Day-to-day monitoring for project management
Development of stories exclusively for marketing…

Actively involving a diverse group of stakeholders can help create a more impactful learning agenda. Collaboration with others brings unique expertise and perspectives, while also increasing buy-in and making it more likely that stakeholders will support and share key learnings. It also avoids duplication of efforts on topics already explored. Engage stakeholders early on to gain insights into the feasibility, potential costs and learning needs, as well as understanding how best to increase the uptake of learning. Practitioners, women’s rights organisations, local leaders and civil society…

Learning questions should aim to understand the nuances of how and why changes occurred, explore unintended effects, and understand the implications for future policy and programming. When developing learning questions for a VAWG programme, it can be useful to:

Centre women and girls so that the learning questions give voice to their experiences and needs
Use the Theory of Change to identify questions
Embed learning questions in various activities from results frameworks, reporting, meetings, evaluations and accompanying research questions
Co-design and validate learning questions…

Learning should be considered at the outset while developing the M&E framework to ensure that the programme focuses on collecting data and reporting information that can be used in realtime to adapt the programme to changing circumstances and can also support longer-term and wider learning beyond the programme.

It is helpful to develop a learning strategy to explain how, when and where M&E systems can contribute to learning at different levels (local, country, regional and global) and decide how the learning agenda will feed into existing M&E processes such as the development of research…

Monitoring and learning plans should consider the following key components and outline details on:

Resources: budget, time and trained staff or consultant availability to conduct the activities and implement the plan. This includes funding, technical capacity, equipment, etc.
Capacity: whether the programme has the internal capacity and processes to carry out the proposed monitoring and learning activities, including data analysis, or if external expertise is required and defining their roles and responsibilities for collecting and managing data. Consider capabilities, such as whether…