We recently had the pleasure of sharing our monitoring, evaluation, and learning strategy with Echidna Giving, one of our key funding partners. For the past six years, Echidna Giving has supported our work to improve girls’ access to education around the world. Visiting Echidna’s office in downtown San Francisco, Rise Up’s Josie Ramos (Co-founder and Director of Learning), Sienne Hayes (Senior Manager of Strategy and Evaluation), and Denise Dunning (Co-founder and Executive Director) presented our approach to data collection, program monitoring, advocacy evaluation, and organizational learning.

We were proud to detail how we have developed a robust data analytics capacity that helps us to accurately and precisely monitor our progress and engage in continuous process improvement.

“Echidna and Rise Up both see advocacy as a long-term commitment. We do measure our success based in part on the more than 30 improved policies, laws, and programs that Echidna’s funding has helped Rise Up Leaders achieve in countries around the world, but we all recognize that this work is slow and groundbreaking change takes time. In short, advocacy isn’t a sprint; it’s a marathon,” Josie explained. “As with any marathon it’s crucial for advocates to measure the mid-race benchmarks that bring them closer to the finish line—the conversations they have started with stakeholders, the communities of women and girls they have mobilized, the relationships they have built with decision makers, and the public awareness they raised. These smaller steps pave the way for larger systems change down the road even when a political storm keeps them from crossing the finish line.”

Sharing insights with our partners at Echidna on the challenges and opportunities that come with measuring advocacy was both rewarding and energizing, and we look forward to continuing this journey together—one step at a time.