المملكة: Only 5% to measure impact.. Mecca Forum corrects the path of associations towards sustainability

Reveal the second forum for Associations of governorates and villages in the Makkah Al-Mukarramah region The allocations for measuring impact in many civil associations do not exceed 5% of their total budgets, in an indicator that reflects one of the most prominent challenges facing non-profit work in the path of achieving efficiency and sustainability, in conjunction with the rapid expansion in the number of organizations and the growing development roles.

This came during the launch of the forum, which was held in Jeddah Governorate, under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Saud bin Mishal bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Governor of the region. Makkah Al-Mukarramah, under the slogan “From Impact to Sustainability,” with broad participation from leaders of the non-profit sector, decision makers, donors, and more than 300 entities and civil associations from the governorates and villages of the region.

The forum aims to bring about a qualitative shift in the performance of civil society organizations by building an integrated system for measuring impact and enhancing its effectiveness, by raising the awareness of village associations about the concepts of impact measurement and directly linking them to the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030, and enabling them to use modern measurement tools such as key performance indicators “KPIs”, the social return on investment “SROI” methodology, and the theory of change.

The forum’s program includes implementing dialogue sessions and specialized workshops with the participation of elites. of experts and specialists, to discuss ways to develop the performance of NGOs, build their capabilities in the field of impact measurement, and link development outcomes to national indicators, which contributes to raising the efficiency and sustainability of non-profit work.

The CEO of Tanmeyah Society, Mr. Khaled bin Ahmed Al-Usaimi, explained that the forum empowered NGOs with practical tools and clear methodologies that contribute to raising the efficiency of planning and implementation, and linking development outcomes to approved national indicators, noting that the forum’s program was carefully designed. To provide effective applied content, which helps associations in the region improve the quality of their decisions, enhance the reliability of their reports, and raise their ability to build effective partnerships with supporting agencies and donors.

Al-Osaimi stressed that the association is working, through the forum, to establish a sustainable participatory learning environment that allows the exchange of experiences and the transfer of knowledge between associations, and supports the unification of concepts and practices in the field of impact measurement, which contributes to enhancing the efficiency of development work, achieving its sustainability, and maximizing its impact on Governorates and villages of the Makkah Al-Mukarramah region.

National associations face a number of fundamental challenges in measuring impact, coinciding with the rapid growth in the number of non-profit organizations. This reflects an urgent need for unified national frameworks that control measurement methodologies, limit repetition, and ensure effectiveness. Among these challenges, the difficulties of transparency and accountability stand out. As a result of the limited exchange of measurement results between associations and official bodies, and the weakness of means of communicating the impact to the public and donors, associations also suffer from the decline in the effectiveness of research partnerships with universities and study centers, and the absence of applied studies that contribute to improving measurement tools locally.

Data and technology gaps are a central challenge; As a result of the low efficiency of data collection and analysis systems, and the weak benefit from digital platforms and artificial intelligence, the associations’ lack of consistent frameworks and standards makes it difficult to compare and unify results, in the absence of a national reference framework. These challenges are exacerbated by the low level of awareness and specialized experience in applying modern measurement tools. Such as key performance indicators and the social return on investment, in addition to the weakness of the institutional culture that views impact measurement as an essential element in sustainable development work.

The forum also witnesses the signing of cooperation agreements and strategic partnerships between associations, supporting bodies and the private sector, in addition to work on preparing a document that includes practical recommendations to be presented to official bodies to adopt a unified framework at the national level for measuring impact, and launching a national platform concerned with presenting impact measurement and exchanging knowledge between associations.

The forum reviews examples of more than 10 success stories. For village associations that have achieved a tangible impact in their local communities, in addition to an accompanying exhibition that includes the most prominent influential parties in the impact industry, and provides opportunities for communication and building qualitative partnerships, in addition to examining innovative financing models; Such as impact contracts and social accelerators, to support the sustainability of development initiatives.

The forum is a national platform for exchanging experiences, building partnerships, and transferring practical knowledge between NGOs, donors, and the public and private sectors, in a way that supports the transition of charitable work from temporary impact to long-term sustainability, and reflects the maturity of the development experience of village associations in the governorates and villages of Makkah.