Service 04
SBCC Monitoring and Evaluation & Impact Assessments
SBCC monitoring and evaluation that measures real behavior change, not just reach. We set behavior-based metrics, run evaluations and tell you what worked, what didn't, and why.
At a glance
- What it is
- We measure whether people actually changed their behavior, not just whether they "heard" your message.
- How we do it
- We set up clear behavior-based metrics, run evaluations, and tell you what worked, what didn't, and why.
- The client value
- You get hard data and clear proof of impact to show your board, donors, or stakeholders.
Why SBCC monitoring and evaluation matters
Many programs report activity: posters printed, radio spots aired, people reached. Those numbers matter for management, but they do not tell you whether anyone changed what they do.
Good SBCC monitoring and evaluation answers the harder question. We measure whether people actually changed their behavior, not just whether they "heard" your message.
That evidence helps you defend your budget, improve the next phase, and share credible results with your board, donors, or stakeholders.
How we measure behavior change
We set up clear behavior-based metrics, run evaluations, and tell you what worked, what didn't, and why. Our SBCC monitoring and evaluation work usually covers:
Theory of change
A simple map that links activities to the barriers they address and the behaviors they should change.
Behavior-based indicators
Measures of what people do, supported by measures of knowledge, attitudes, norms and intentions.
Monitoring systems
Light, practical routines that track progress during rollout, so you can adjust in time.
Evaluations
Baseline, midline and endline studies, or rapid assessments, chosen to fit the question and the budget.
Learning reviews
Sessions with your team to interpret the data and decide what to keep, change or stop.
Clear reporting
Short, readable findings for boards and donors, with the evidence behind every claim.
Rigorous MEL, explained simply
MEL stands for monitoring, evaluation and learning. The learning part is what turns data into better programs.
- Monitoring tells you whether activities are happening as planned and reaching the right people.
- Evaluation tells you whether behavior changed, and how much of that change your program can claim.
- Learning tells you why, and what to do next.
We follow widely used guidance, including the World Health Organization's work on behavioural sciences for better health, and adapt it to your context and resources.
Choosing the right indicators
The most common weakness in behavior change evaluation is the indicator itself. If you measure the wrong thing, even a perfect survey won't help.
We work with you to pick indicators at three levels:
- Behavior. What people actually do: attend, adopt, use, save, wash, enroll, return.
- Drivers. The factors your program is trying to shift, such as knowledge, confidence, perceived norms, access or cost.
- Delivery. Whether activities reached the right people at the right time and quality.
Where possible we use data that already exists, such as service records or digital analytics, before adding new surveys. That keeps costs down and makes tracking easier to sustain after we leave.
We also plan for honest limits. Not every program can run a full experiment, and not every change can be attributed with certainty. We say so clearly, and choose the strongest design your budget and context allow.
How an SBCC monitoring and evaluation engagement runs
- 01
Clarify the questions
We agree what decision-makers need to know, and by when.
- 02
Map the logic
We build or review the theory of change and choose the priority behaviors to track.
- 03
Design the method
We select indicators, tools and an evaluation design that fit your budget.
- 04
Collect and analyze
We gather data with care for quality, ethics and local context.
- 05
Report and learn
We share clear findings and help your team act on them.
SBCC monitoring and evaluation is the final step of our SBCC methodology, and it feeds straight back into the next round of SBCC strategy.
The client value
You get hard data and clear proof of impact to show your board, donors, or stakeholders.
Just as important, you learn which parts of your program are pulling their weight. That makes every future investment smarter.
Clear evidence also changes conversations. Instead of defending activity numbers, your team can show what people now do differently, explain the reasons behind it, and make a confident case for scaling what works or redirecting funds from what doesn't. Findings are shared in plain language, with short briefs for leadership and fuller technical annexes for specialists.
Need to prove what changed? Talk to us about SBCC monitoring and evaluation.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is SBCC monitoring and evaluation?
SBCC monitoring and evaluation is the process of tracking whether a social and behavior change program is working. Monitoring checks progress during implementation. Evaluation asks whether the behavior actually changed, for whom, and why.
How is this different from measuring reach?
Reach tells you how many people saw or heard your message. SBCC monitoring and evaluation goes further, measuring whether people did the behavior, such as attending a service, adopting a practice or using a product.
Can you evaluate a program you did not design?
Yes. We regularly evaluate programs designed by others. We start by understanding the program's theory of change, then build an evaluation that fits the questions, budget and timeline.
Which evaluation methods do you use?
We choose methods that fit the question: surveys, observation, program data, qualitative interviews, mixed-methods designs and, where suitable, comparison or experimental designs. We are open about the strengths and limits of each.
Will the results satisfy our donors?
We design SBCC monitoring and evaluation to answer the questions boards and donors care about, using clear behavior-based indicators and transparent methods. We report honestly, including what did not work.