Strategic thinking by non-government organisations for sustainability : a review of the logical framework approach

The awareness of the environmental crisis and the impact of rising povertyglobally has led to the search for sustainable solutions. The United NationsMillennium Development Goals (MDGs) describe the solution as a securepeaceful world, a healthier environment and a better quality of life for all. Nongovernmentalorganisations (NGOs) are important development actors inrealising this goal. They work within civil society and focus on theempowerment of the vulnerable and marginalised through the transfer ofskills, resources and power. Their flexibility, commitment to social justice andstrong relationships with the community allow NGOs to develop creativeresponses, developing new models for sustainable solutions.A weakness of NGOs is the inability to provide reliable evidence of the effect,or impact, of programmes and their contribution towards a better society.Further the reliance on donor funding can change the focus of accountabilityfrom the beneficiaries to donors and stakeholders. The study is based in thegiven reality that NGOs are required to adopt a more strategic outcomesorientated approach to programme and project planning to be able to measurethe impact of services to improve the effectiveness of services and prove theiradded value to society. This is most often done through the LogicalFramework Approach (LFA) as a planning model, as many governments,multilateral aid agencies and donors use this model to develop policies anddetermine funding priorities. This study therefore gives an overview of theliterature regarding the principles, benefits and challenges of the LFA fromvarious sources. These are considered within the diverse and complexdevelopment context and how the complexity affects the use of this tool inplanning, monitoring and evaluation.The LFA is based on the Management by Objectives model. The LFAprovides a relatively objective, systematic and thoughtful guide to projectplanning which enables organisations to measure their progress in realisinggoals. The visually accessible log frame explains how the use of resourceswill contribute towards reaching the goal. It enables the organisation topresent their projects to a wider audience increasing its accountability todonors, stakeholders and beneficiaries.Yet, organisations are often very critical of the use of the Logical FrameworkApproach as it assumes that society is a stable environment where factorscan be manipulated to bring about expected results. It ignores the dynamic,complex and frequently unpredictable nature of society and the non-linearpath of social learning and empowerment. Further the model can be misusedand exploited to enforce power relationships resulting in the development ofinappropriate or irrelevant projects that do not meet the needs of the intendedbeneficiaries.The study concludes that, despite all the criticisms, the Logical FrameworkApproach can be a very useful tool and provides recommendations that willhelp find a balance between the structured planning process and theparticipative and creative social learning techniques. NGOs can be focussed and accountable and still remain more responsive to the needs ofcommunities.