Challenge
Impact assessment has become a common practice to measure the effects of socio-environmental initiatives, including those driven by business institutes. With the aim of further enhancing the reach and effectiveness of its actions, the GPA Institute joined forces with IDIS to develop a Monitoring and Evaluation Plan.
This tool not only qualifies the results but also empowers the members of the Institute to monitor the performance of projects, fostering an evaluative culture within the team and promoting continuous improvement of their social actions for various causes.
Solution
IDIS collaborated with the GPA Institute in developing an M&E Plan for the ‘Hands on the Dough’ and ‘Prosper Program’ projects, both belonging to the organization’s work front. The goal of these projects is to empower individuals, helping them discover talents and pursue vocations through professional training programs and financial assistance. Initially, a diagnostic analysis of the Institute was conducted, focusing on both selected programs.
Following that, 10 workshops were conducted with the Institute’s team and some representatives from the Human Resources department of GPA, addressing theoretical and practical aspects related to the practice of monitoring and evaluation in social projects. The sessions covered topics such as Theory of Change, results chain, indicators, qualitative research, quantitative research and evaluative methods. For each of the workshops, a practical exercise was carried out, enabling the participative construction of the Monitoring and Evaluation Plan components for the two selected programs.
Results
Based on the previous steps, IDIS developed a comprehensive Monitoring and Evaluation Plan, highlighting strengths and offering suggestions for program improvement. Additionally, a Guide to Tools and Best Practices was created to facilitate the Institute GPA member’s process when implementing the plan.
Its implementation will allow the organization to monitor results in the next project cycle, extending this capability to the development of Monitoring and Evaluation plans for other areas of operation. This promotes independence and cultivates a lasting evaluative culture.
“The work carried out by IDIS was of utmost importance for us to closely examine the projects of the GPA Institute. Identifying the real impact of our projects has always been one of the greatest challenges; we know they are excellent and transformative, but we had no way to measure. After this journey with IDIS, we developed together the necessary tools to address our greatest challenges, which is measuring the social impact of the projects we carry out,” said Patricia Santana, Coordinator of Social Projects at the GPA Institute.
SDG
About the Organization
The GPA Institute is a non-profit organization established in 1998 to lead the social initiatives of GPA. Its purpose is to provide development opportunities for those seeking growth aligned with their life purposes, playing a transformative role in society.
Currently, the GPA Institute operates in three main areas: the first, “Food,” aims to reduce the impacts of hunger and combat food waste; the second area, “Work,” seeks to empower individuals by supporting them in discovering their talents through professional training initiatives and financial assistance. The third area, “Social Engagement,” deepens the relationship between employees, customers, suppliers, social organizations, and GPA, promoting collaborative action as agents of transformation.
