Theory of Change: From Activities to Impact
Map clear pathways connecting activities to measurable outcomes that satisfy donor requirements and guide implementation. Online certificate course.
Self-Study Certificate Course
Start: Immediate Access
Time: Typically 20-30 hours to complete
What's Your Theory of Change?
Proposals fail when donors can't follow your logic. More and more are asking this question—and too many organizations struggle to answer it convincingly. In humanitarian and development work, traditional planning tools alone aren't always enough. Donors want to see your deeper thinking: the assumptions behind your logic and exactly how change happens in your context. Without a rigorous Theory of Change, organizations face:
- Rejected proposals when donors can't follow your logic from activities to impact
- Projects built on flawed assumptions about how change happens
- Wasted efforts implementing activities that don't create transformation
- Teams working hard without understanding how their efforts combine
- Missing what actually drives change in your specific context
This practical training introduces a more strategic and deliberate way of planning for change. You'll work backwards from your desired impact, surface hidden assumptions, and build theories that satisfy donors while guiding implementation. Through Theory of Change development, you can:
- Answer "What's your theory of change?" with confidence and clarity
- Work backwards from desired impact to design what's actually needed
- Question and validate assumptions at every level of your design
- Create and present compelling causal pathways that donors understand
- Align teams for greater impact
How You'll Learn
This self-paced course combines video lessons, practical exercises, and assessments:
- Video presentations with downloadable transcripts and handouts
- Practical templates and tasks for immediate application
- Reflection exercises to adapt concepts to your context
- End-of-module knowledge checks
- Certificate upon completion
Course developed and presented by Neil Kendrick, founder of ELD Impact, with 25+ years of experience training humanitarian professionals across 20+ countries
Program Overview
Click any module to see content
- Getting Started
- Pre-Course Self-Assessment: Rate Your Current Skills
- Introduction to Theory of Change
- Importance of TOC in Relief Humanitarian and Development Work
- Role of Assumptions in TOC
- Goals Outcomes and Impact in TOC
- Progress Assessment
- Reflection & Application
- Mapping Causal Pathways
- Assumptions in Theory of Change
- Building Partnerships - Stakeholder Engagement in Theory of Change Development
- Partnership Case Study - Community Resilience
- Partnership Case Study - Social Inclusion
- Integrating Theory of Change into Project Logic Models and Frameworks
- Linking Activities Outputs Outcomes and Impacts
- Progress Assessment
- Complexity and Context Specific Factors in Project Planning
- Adaptability and Flexibility
- Incorporating Participatory Approaches
- Utilizing Systems Thinking
- Addressing Power Dynamics
- Importance of Contextual Analysis
- Building Partnerships and Collaboration
- Monitoring and Evaluation for Learning
- Addressing Complexity - Case Study - Disaster Response
- Addressing Complexity - Case Study - Humanitarian Assistance
- Addressing Complexity - Case Study - Livelihoods Development
- Progress Assessment
- Reflection & Application
- Collecting Data to Measure Progress and Outcomes
- Designing Monitoring Evaluation and Learning Frameworks Based on TOC Principles
- Adaptive Management and Course Correction
- Case Studies and Best Practices
- Steps to Creating a Theory of Change
- Lessons Learned and Next Steps
- Progress Assessment
- Reflection & Application
- Final Self-Assessment: Reflect on Your Learning and Growth
- Reflection & Action Planning
- Course Discussion Forum
- Your Next Steps
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