About Course
Monitoring & Evaluation – CPD Accredited
July 2026 Edition
A comprehensive, UK-focused training course for charities, community groups and funded organisations on building and embedding an effective monitoring and evaluation framework, from first principles through to funder reporting and organisational learning.
Who Is This Course For?
This course has been designed for anyone responsible for monitoring or evaluating projects and services in a UK charity, community group or funded organisation. Whether you are a:
- Trustee with legal responsibility for ensuring your charity is achieving its purposes
- Project coordinator or manager responsible for tracking and reporting on funded activity
- Fundraiser who needs strong M&E evidence to underpin grant applications and reports
- Chief Executive or senior leader responsible for organisational learning and effectiveness
- Volunteer or new entrant wanting to understand what M&E involves and how to build it
- Finance lead wanting to understand how M&E evidence links to your financial reporting obligations
This course will give you the knowledge, frameworks and practical tools to build an M&E system that works for your organisation, meets your legal obligations, satisfies funders and genuinely improves the quality of your work.
Course Overview
6 modules · Average 3 to 4 hours to complete · Work at your own pace
Monitoring & Evaluation Foundations
Before you can measure your impact, you need to understand why M&E matters, legally, practically and ethically. This module covers the fundamental distinction between monitoring (ongoing data collection about what is happening) and evaluation (structured assessment of what is changing and why), why M&E is a legal and governance duty for registered charities under the Charities Act 2011 and CC3, and the key terminology used throughout M&E practice. The new Charities SORP 2026 tiered reporting requirements are also introduced.
Theory of Change & Logic Models
A Theory of Change is the backbone of any effective M&E framework. This module shows you what a Theory of Change is, how it differs from a Logic Model, how to build one for your organisation or project, and how funders including the National Lottery Community Fund and Comic Relief use Theories of Change in their assessment processes. Common mistakes and how to avoid them are covered in full.
Setting Objectives & Indicators
Objectives and indicators are the operational heart of your M&E framework. This module covers how to set SMART objectives aligned to your Theory of Change, how to choose indicators that are meaningful, measurable and proportionate, and how to establish a baseline before your project starts. You will also learn how to distinguish between process indicators (measuring what you do) and outcome indicators (measuring what changes), and how to use validated measurement tools appropriate for your work.
Data Collection Methods
Your M&E framework is only as strong as the data behind it. This module is a practical guide to the full range of data collection methods available to UK charities, surveys, interviews, focus groups, observation, administrative data, case studies and validated psychometric scales. You will learn how to choose the right method for your purpose, how to design simple and effective data collection tools, and how to collect and manage beneficiary data in compliance with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.
Analysis, Reporting & Communication
Collecting data is only useful if you can analyse it and communicate it effectively. This module covers how to analyse both quantitative and qualitative M&E data, how to present your findings in funder reports, annual reports and public communications, and how to write a compelling impact narrative that combines data with human story. You will learn what funders expect in mid-term and end-of-grant reports, how to handle negative findings honestly, and what the Code of Fundraising Practice and UK GDPR require in beneficiary representation.
Learning, Improvement & Sustainability
The ultimate purpose of M&E is not compliance, it is learning. This final module shows you how to use your M&E evidence to improve your services, make better strategic decisions and build a culture of continuous improvement across your whole organisation. You will learn how to share learning internally and externally, how to engage trustees and volunteers in the importance of evidence, and how to build M&E into your day-to-day practice so it becomes a natural part of how your organisation works.
What You Will Learn
On completion of all modules, you will be able to:
- ✓ Distinguish clearly between monitoring and evaluation and understand your legal obligations in relation to each
- ✓ Build a Theory of Change and Logic Model that underpins your M&E framework
- ✓ Set SMART objectives and meaningful outcome indicators aligned to your organisation’s work
- ✓ Choose appropriate data collection methods and design simple, effective tools proportionate to your capacity
- ✓ Analyse M&E data and present findings in funder reports and annual reports in a clear, credible way
- ✓ Comply with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 in collecting, managing and using beneficiary data
- ✓ Build a culture of evidence in your organisation that supports continuous learning and improvement
Benefits for You and Your Organisation
✓ Win More Funding
Applications backed by robust M&E frameworks and compelling evidence consistently outperform those that describe activities alone. This course teaches you how to build the evidence that wins grants and contracts.
✓ Meet Your Legal Obligations
Understand your duties under the Charities Act 2011, CC3, the Charities SORP 2026 and Charity Commission guidance on public benefit reporting, and produce annual reports that meet regulatory expectations.
✓ Improve Your Services
Good M&E tells you what is working and what is not. This course shows you how to turn your evidence into actionable insight that improves outcomes for your beneficiaries and strengthens your organisation.
✓ Build Funder Confidence
A credible, well-documented M&E framework signals that your organisation manages its work professionally and is accountable for its outcomes, increasingly what funders and commissioners look for.
✓ A Resource You Will Keep Using
Download and save the course for future reference. Return to it whenever you are designing a new M&E framework, preparing a funder report or building the evidence base for a new application.
✓ Recognised Achievement
Complete all six modules and receive a personalised, printable CPD-accredited certificate of completion to support your continuing professional development.
– Amie Elliott, GeckoFundraising Ltd
How It Works
Complete your purchase using our secure online card payment. Access to the full course is granted immediately upon payment being received, no waiting, no delay.
Work through the modules online at any time, at your own pace. Your progress is saved automatically in your browser, so you can dip in and out across multiple sessions to fit around your work. Please complete the course on the same device and browser throughout, as your progress is stored locally and will not transfer between devices.
Once complete, save the course as a PDF to keep on your desktop. Return to it whenever you need it, a practical reference resource you will use again and again.
Complete all modules and generate your personalised, printable CPD-accredited certificate of completion instantly, at no extra cost, a record of your professional development to share with trustees, employers or commissioners.
Course Investment
One-off payment including VAT · No subscription · Instant access on payment
- Complete online at your own pace, 3 to 4 hours on average
- Full course available to download and save for future reference
- Links to authoritative UK legislation and official guidance throughout
- Personalised, printable CPD-accredited certificate of completion on finishing all modules
- Course content covers the legal framework for charities in England and Wales · Also available in course bundles and the Full Catalogue (£649 including VAT)
Access to the course content is granted immediately upon receipt of your completed online card payment. You will be able to start learning straight away.
Important: complete this course on one device
Your progress, knowledge-check answers and certificate details are saved locally in the browser you use to open the course. They are not stored on our server and will not transfer to another device, or to a different browser on the same device. Please start and finish the course using the same device and browser. Clearing your browser history or site data, or using a private or incognito window, will also erase your progress. Your downloadable copy of the course is unaffected and can be opened anywhere.
Course Content
Monitoring & Evaluation
Monitoring & Evaluation