The use of good and useful data is crucial to the many multi-year programs carried out at different locations.  Vital information is exchanged by the different NGOs that take responsibility for achieving positive impact worldwide. The work is always done with a network of local implementing partners.

Taking responsibility often starts with the design of a program.  In a so-called “project proposal” the essence of the actual work is described as Theory of Change. In order to reach the objective  a variety of Excel, Word but also other types of files, are used. These files are distributed

over the Internet, stored in Google Docs or a SharePoint environment. Storing documents securely, as well as keeping the right version available to those authorized, can be quite a challenge for the different consortia.

Once a donor has awarded funding for a multi-year program, the actual work in the field gets underway. Local implementing organizations are asked to report on activities (results frameworks) that they have carried out. That data is often collected offline. It is frequently collected from the field physically. On motorbikes people move to communities with often only a phone or notepad in their backpacks  to fill out forms and collect other relevant data. Examples of the types of data are attendance lists, turnover or profit figures, satisfaction surveys, a life story but also photos or videos. This “data” is then handed over to the project leaders or program managers.

ParaPact's data service! Insight into intended impact! Together!

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ParaPact wants to assist the local implementing organizations to collect and store relevant data in an orderly fashion (on or offline)  so that it can be shared among the consortium partners. The gathered data is then made available as input for managerial decision making at the consortium partners using a Power BI dashboard. The data will remain the property of the local communities and implementing organizations. This makes the local implementing organizations part of the ecosystem and also gives them better insight into what is being done with the data they have produced.

Advantages for ParaPact members

  • ParaPact members speak the same information language regardless of the applications they use. As a result they can work adequately and safely together in consortia, decrease their start-up and overhead costs and gain access to best-practice data collected at projects worldwide.
  • By using a PowerBi dashboard, all members within consortia have access to the same data allowing all members to steer their projects based on actual and relevant information.
  • Organisations can spend more time on their core business instead of collecting and synchronizing data.
  • By sharing validated historical data, future projects can be more effectively designed based on data of successful earlier projects. Quality of programs increases.
  • Access to project data will also remain active to the target groups, even when programs have been finalized. This ensures that a community or a region can continue to use the data independently. They can use the data to create more sustainable programs. Of course with all necessary safeguards in place.
  • Members learn from each other’s data about, for example, regions or themes (water, agriculture, education etc). Members can connect to the network of experts in ParaPact.
  • Collecting, synchronizing and analyzing data and reporting information is an expensive process. Governments and donors are aware of this. For both governments and donors it is important that data is dealt with in a adequate and sustainable manner. As a results of their ParaPact membership, members can demonstrate they give priority to safe and substainable data processing.

How to cover this in your (donor) budgets or proposal?

Several donors are willing to cover innovative reporting tools. In many projects there is specific budget available for data collection and IT & innovation.
  • With a % of the proposal value ParaPact is your service provider during the project time.
  • ParaPact takes responsibility for the data management during the project. ParaPact supplies relevant steering information.
  • ParaPact supports implementing (local) partners with data collection.