THE SHIFT
Most MEL frameworks tell you what to measure. We help you build a practice that actually uses the evidence.
Social impact organisations already invest heavily in frameworks and systems that build rigour through comprehensiveness. The gap isn't data. It's the systems, skills, and habits that turn data into decisions. That's where we work.
THE PHILOSOPHY
Minimalist MEL - rigour through disciplined subtraction.
01.
Start with use,
not collection
02.
Build for the people inside
03.
Embed,
don't extract
The simplest system that generates the most useful insight - not the most impressive one. Rigour comes from disciplined subtraction, not from measuring everything.
MEL that only satisfies funders isn't learning. It's compliance dressed up as evidence.
The goal is capability that stays after we leave — not dependency on the consultant.
DG Murray Trust
Theory of Change refinement, indicator prioritisation, and partner readiness for a digital data system.
Mastercard Foundation
Research and advisory for the Impact Labs for the Deep Listening Project
Tiger Brands Foundation
Three consecutive phases of MERL work — systems design, capability building, and a national school nutrition awards governance framework.
Avo Vision
MEAL systems design and impact evaluation across education, enterprise development, and agricultural regeneration.
Data Innovators
Embedded MERL capacity across social impact programmes.
Gordon Institute of Business Science
Data storytelling and communication workshop for professional teams.
SELECTED ORGANISATIONS
We've worked with foundations, implementing organisations, and development programmes across South Africa and the region.
HOW WE WORK
SIGNATURE
MEL Capability Building
Workshops and facilitated learning for teams who need to run their own MEL - not just report to a system someone else built. Theory of Change, indicator design, data sense-making, and data storytelling. Delivered to NGO and foundation teams as well as corporate and academic audiences.
RETAINER
Strategic MEL Advisory
A thinking partnership for senior leaders navigating decisions about measurement, evidence, and organisational learning. Covers strategic advisory, knowledge management, leadership mentoring, and the thinking that happens between deliverables - not just at reporting time.
PROJECT-BASED
MEL Systems Design
End-to-end MERL frameworks - from Theory of Change through to digital systems, data collection tools, and governance frameworks. Built with your team, not just for them. Scope ranges from programme-level systems to nationally scalable policy frameworks.
PROJECT-BASED
Impact Evaluation & Learning Reviews
Independent baseline studies, mid-term reviews, and end-line evaluations, and strategic learning products that meet accountability requirements and generate insights you can act on - including knowledge synthesis for organisations ready to capture what they have learned.
ABOUT
Nobuhle Funda
Principal Consultant
Economist, MEL practitioner, and facilitator with over a decade working at the intersection of data, development, and organisational learning. Nobuhle brings a grounded, human-centred approach to MEL — built on the belief that evidence only matters when it changes how people think and decide.
GET IN TOUCH
Let's talk about where your organisation is.
No jargon, no lengthy proposals to start - just a conversation about what you need and whether this is the right fit.