Challenge

Sustainable communities, social mobility, and inclusion. Although they are different causes, they all share a common purpose: to move people and reduce distances. According to a report released in 2020 by the World Economic Forum, Brazil ranks 60th out of 82 countries in a mobility social index.

Recognizing its potential impact, the Volkswagen Group Foundation invests in social actions for various causes. To go further, they sought the support of IDIS to gain a deeper understanding of the effects of their initiatives and strengthen the internal evaluative culture of the organization.

Solution

In 2022, IDIS collaborated with FGVW in the initial creation of Theory of Change – a tool that defines short, medium, and long-term activities and objectives – and in the development of Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Plans for projects supported by the organization. The method not only evaluates the impact of actions but also empowers the Foundation’s members to monitor other initiatives, promoting an evaluative culture within the team and the continuous improvement of their actions.

During this process, the importance of collaborating with FGVW implementing partners was recognized to empower them and enable specific improvement for each project.

With this perspective, in the first half of 2023, six theoretical workshops were held with these partners. In this way, the organization gained skills to implement the plan and the necessary flexibility to adjust it in the future according to the program’s evolution.

Results

Based on the previous phases, IDIS developed a comprehensive Monitoring and Evaluation Plan, providing guidance to optimize the programs.

The process not only encourages autonomy but also fosters an evaluative culture that persists over time within the organization.

“The partnership with IDIS is consolidating the monitoring and evaluation culture at the Volkswagen Group Foundation so that we can qualify our results and increase the impact on the lives of our beneficiaries. This supports our purpose of moving people through knowledge”, Vitor Hugo Neia, Superintendent of the Volkswagen Group Foundation.

 

About the organization

The corporate foundation has been operating since 1979, investing in social impact actions focusing on two priority causes: urban mobility and sustainable communities, and social mobility and inclusion of people with disabilities.

Additionally, they technically support some of the social investment activities of Volkswagen Group companies in Brazil.