| This case study documents and examines the emergence and development of a donor-funded youth service program situated in an outdoor experiential learning non-profit organization in South Africa. The research looks at the challenges the program has faced, its responses to those challenges, and changing organizational dynamics within the larger context of developments in South Africa historically, socially, politically and culturally.; My methodological approach amalgamated Action Research with qualitative methods underpinned by feminist values. The research was framed around three distinct but interrelated themes: macro policies and approaches, program theory and organizational culture.; The research consisted of qualitative data gathered through participant observation and interviews. Specifically, this included descriptive and reflective field notes of informal interactions with NPO and donor staff, interviews with NPO and donor staff, meetings between the NPO, a personal reflection journal, and document reviews.; The questions that guided the fieldwork were: (1) What factors result in what information being collected and used to shape the program? (2) What influences what the program results are? (3) How do the relationships among NPOs, donors and beneficiaries influence the functioning of monitoring and evaluation in a grassroots South African, donor-funded NPO in South Africa? (4) What type of monitoring and evaluation played what role in shaping the program? (5) What are the essential elements of a framework for a monitoring and evaluation intervention that would enable a donor-funded NPO to engage with monitoring and evaluation that results in an improved program for beneficiaries while at the same time fulfilling the donor's reporting requirements?; The findings are organized into 9 interrelated chapters. Background and Context describes the NPO, donor, key role players, and the history of the program. Methodology and Reflection discuss methodological approaches and issues. The subsequent chapters address the case study from three different paradigms. The findings from these chapters, Macro Context, Program Theory and Power, and Organizational Culture form a holistic picture in the final chapter, Suggested Monitoring and Evaluation Framework for Donor-Funded NPOs in the International Development Context. This chapter provides a new framework for monitoring and evaluation interventions for donor-funded programs in the developing context. |
