What we do

The problem
A major donor organization with a sub-portfolio of over $100 million, granted to several organizations, sought to assure their vision for the money was most effectively allocated to fulfill their mission and generate learning over time.
The Oxu Solution
Oxu created a strategic framework for the donor’s portfolio, mapping if and how partners were contributing to the overall vision, building a database to capture progress across grantees, and identifying a “learning agenda” to help the donor engage and manage researchers to do more in-depth study of their projects.

The problem
A consortium of 12 NGOs working with refugee populations in a protracted crisis needed longer-term analysis of their approach to serving these groups given changes in funding and the nature of the crisis creating displacement.
The Oxu Solution
Oxu created a series of recommendations to the consortium that would fundamentally alter their approach over 10 years, would provide more value for their donor’s money, and would better respond to the realities of needing to incorporate urban refugees into their programs as well as create better partnership with state actors aiding refugees.

The problem
A medium sized NGO wanted to enter a new sector and to also diversify their funding portfolio, but did not know the donor environment in the new sector or if starting a new program fit in with their overall goals as an organization.
The Oxu Solution
Oxu conducted a landscape analysis of the major donors for the sector in the countries where the NGO worked. Ultimately Oxu’s conclusion was to advise against entering this new sector as it wouldn’t diversify the NGO’s funding streams the way that the NGO had hoped, and had the potential to spread the group’s efforts thin and decrease the current high quality programming they were delivering.

The problem
A multi-lateral organization implementing a five year large-scale pilot initiative in 20 countries needed to consolidate lessons learned and develop a clear articulation of pathways for achieving progress and impact. The same organization later needed to develop a theory of change and M&E system to mainstream the work from the pilot into an established program area.
The Oxu Solution
Based on a literature review, an analysis of lessons learned from the pilot, and a series of workshops and consultations Oxu developed in collaboration with the organization a practical framework to show beneficiary impact pathways from the pilot program. In addition to the framework Oxu produced accompanying guidance for using the framework at field, country, regional, and headquarters levels.  For the later work to transition from the pilot to the established program area, Oxu developed a theory of change, logical framework, measurement system, and concrete design and M&E guidance for country office use. This process included an additional literature review, interviews with key stakeholders, and Oxu-facilitated group consultations to identify relevant learning for program design and M&E and to discuss the logic necessary for the theory of change.