Evaluator consultant for Mada's Platform

What is the Platform?

The Platform is a space that offers flexible support for civil society initiatives to help them grow and reach their full potential. Active since 2005, it has supported many organizations or groups, such as artistic communities, municipalities, environmental associations, informal community-based initiatives, early-stage social businesses. Since the end of 2019, the Platform has grown in capacity which has enabled it to open up to new groups, to diversify the range of services provided and to offer closer support. Among other services, the Platform offers support in terms of sharing experience and contacts, implementing tailored guidance, finding the right expertise, and supporting the institutionalization of early-stage organizations. It also provides services such as accounting and financial expertise, legal advice, communication and logistics support.

The Platform is currently supporting 8 groups including: two social enterprises (Hikayatouna and Horshna), two local associations (Empower and Samandal), a food cooperative (Dikkeni Coop), a youth grassroots initiative with a hybrid model (Nation Station), and two educational initiatives (Farasheh and Sénévé). Most of the groups operate in Lebanon but not only: one is located in Homs (Sénévé) and another is in the process of relocating in Europe (Samandal). For more information on the supported groups and the kinds of support provided, see the latest newsletter (Annex 1). 

Objective of the Mission

Mada is recruiting an evaluation expert to:

• Analyze the specificities and impact of the Platform;
• Evaluate the adequacy between the needs of the supported groups and the Platform’s vision and capacities;
• Identify the lessons learned and areas for improvement.

Definition of the Mission

The evaluation will consist of three phases that have specific activities associated with them:

Phase 1: Review and understand what is the Platform and how it works

• A meeting with Mada’s team to review the project’s objectives and design an evaluation plan for the project. The key deliverable from this stage is a brief inception report that includes the research design and tools.
• Reading existing documentation (communication tools, mapping of actors, project documentation). 

Phase 2: Data collection and evaluation of the program

• Conducting interviews with the project leaders of the groups supported by Mada under the Platform.
• Conducting interviews with the operational team working on the Platform, which includes a project coordinator, current and former board members, and several consultants which provide technical expertise under the Platform.
• Conducting interviews with the donors supporting the Platform
• Evaluate the specificities of the Platform from the groups’ perspective and from Mada’s perspective, in comparison with other capacity building actors in Lebanon. The consultant will focus on the specificities of the kind of support provided and the work relationship between Mada and the supported groups. 
• Evaluate the efficiency of the existing communication tools for the Platform (brochure, website, newsletters).
• Identify the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) of the program.

Phase 3: Analysis and reporting

• List the achievements of the Platform since 2019. Identify potential gaps between the point of view of the supported groups and Mada’s operational team.
• Identify the needs for support of the groups supported by the Platform and evaluate their understanding of the program and their level of involvement and interest for further partnership.
• Issue recommendation in terms of selection process of the supported groups and formalization of partnerships;
• Issue recommendation in terms of strategic orientations, external communication and economic model.

List of deliverables:

• An inception report at the start of the evaluation that includes the research design and tools.
• A profile sheet for each supported group including their testimonies, the achievements with the Platform’s support since 2019, their future needs for support, and opportunities for further collaboration.
• A panorama of the main achievements of the Platform since 2019, divided into fields of expertise.
• A SWOT matrix (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) of the Platform.
• An updated mapping of actors providing support in terms of capacity building in Lebanon.
• A proposition of action including recommendations in terms of economic model, communication, and processes.
• All of these will be compiled in a final report written in English.  

Main work interfaces

The consultant will work with the Platform’s coordinator at Mada and with the 8 groups supported by the Platform. As of February 2021, the active groups are: Dikkeni Coop, Empower, Farasheh, Hikayatouna, Horshna, Nation Station, Samandal, and Sénévé.

Provisional planning

The evaluation is expected to start in March 2021 and end by mid-May 2021, including preparation, evaluation design, field work, report writing and recommendations to partners. It is estimated that the mission will require between 10 to 15 days of work.

BUDGET

The evaluator will submit a proposition of action including an expected amount of days needed to produce the deliverables listed above and a daily rate in USD.

The consultant will provide Mada with an invoice including his/her fiscal number in order to receive the payment. If the consultant doesn’t have a Lebanese fiscal number, Mada will be responsible for complying with the competent tax authorities therefore a 7.5% of the total amount received by the Consultant will be deducted to be paid by Mada to cover the consultant’s taxes.

Education and knowledge required

• Experience in program evaluation and capitalization.
• Profound understanding of the Lebanese civil society.
• Fluent in Arabic and in English.