A Journey of Evaluation and Impact Measurement – Accounts of Setting up a Monitoring and Evaluation Framework in a Romanian Social Economy Organisation

Setting up a framework for monitoring, evaluation and impact measurement can be a complex and elaborate task for an organisation in the social economy sector. This paper uses a case study approach to present the experience and journey in setting up a framework for monitoring and evaluation, with implications for assessing the impact of such an organisation - CONCORDIA Humanitarian Organisation in Romania. Building on the scholarly works on the evaluation of SE organisations, with a focus on theory-based evaluations, this paper aims to give accounts on these evaluation and impact assessment activities in practice. What approach and methodology were seen as the most suitable for measuring its social impact at organisational level, given the context and the specifics of its activities? How is monitoring and evaluation integrated in the current activities of the organisation? What challenges lay ahead in this process? The paper builds on CONCORDIA Romania’s experience of conducting one of the first impact studies of a SE in Romania - for its social enterprise CONCORDIA Bakery - and on the organisation’s recent strategy for institutionalising a monitoring and evaluation framework based on the Theory of Change at organisational level, in order to better understand its social and economic contribution.