📘 M&E Bench Digest | Edition 7 is here! Evidence should do more than document what organizations do. It should shape how they think, decide, learn and transform. In this edition, we explore how to move M&E beyond reporting into the heart of strategy, accountability and organizational performance, drawing insights from our conversation with Nosicelo Gloria Lephephelo. For this and more ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 Join Our WhatsApp Community chat.whatsapp.com/H9mrfZshuZ… 📡📹 Whatsapp channel whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbD… 🪐 Telegram Channel t.me/MEbench 🤳 LinkedIn linkedin.com/company/evaluat… ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Have you ever thought of freely giving back of your professional time, knowledge and skills? Well, here's an opportunity from 30th November - 4th December 2026, we'll be commemorating the #MEgives week Please register to join professionals around the world as they give back to those who trully need their time, knowledge and skills. forms.gle/PxWm7sLshPtuTiGaA #MEgives #MEBench #EvidenceForImpact #GivingBackThroughEvidence

The dates are known, and the hosts are ready for us. Mark your calendars for the Global M&E Expo and Impact Awards 2026!! And as we wait for the days to come, let's nominate our favorite person(s) or organization(s) impacting our communities. We can't wait to celebrate them on the global stage. Use this link: forms.gle/BEeFV2Nh3qA9UQ9i8

Do you know anyone or any institution(s) that falls in the special recognitions Award category? If yes, nominate them for this year's Global Impact Awards using the link below: forms.gle/BEeFV2Nh3qA9UQ9i8

The 1st category to be recognized during the Global Impact Awards this December consists of the Individual Excellence Awards. Let's recognize our people on the Global stage, use this link to nominate them: forms.gle/BEeFV2Nh3qA9UQ9i8

30th November - 4th December 2026 is #MEgives week M&E professionals and institutions around the world will freely be giving their time, skills and knowledge to strengthen communities, organizations and people. Please register and join us as we give back this year. forms.gle/PxWm7sLshPtuTiGaA #MEgives #MEBench #EvidenceForImpact #GivingBackThroughEvidence

Have you nominated yet? Nominate an outstanding individual, team, institution or government agency for the Global M&E Impact Awards 2026. 👉 Tap the link. Make the nomination. Give great work the recognition it deserves. forms.gle/BEeFV2Nh3qA9UQ9i8 Someone is waiting to be recognised. It could be your nomination that puts them on the global stage.

The Global M&E Expo and Impact Awards will take place in Nairobi, Kenya from 10th - 11th December 2026 and we are extremely excited to announce our partnership with @MandEKenya as we prepare this high-profile event convening the Global evidence community to showcase MERL innovations, celebrate excellence, strengthen networks, promote peer learning and recognition. Karibu Monitoring and Evaluation Professionals Association of Kenya

What if one day could change how you work with data and AI? Join the M&E Bench Master Class this October for 4 practical Saturdays of learning beyond the classroom, bringing together two powerful sessions: Morning sessions: Designing M&E Data Visualizations That Tell the Right Story During these morning sessions, we'll learn to move from data and dashboards to insight, storytelling and decisions. Afternoon sessions: Architecting AI Workflows for Smarter M&E Decisions. These afternoon sessions we'll share how to move from simply asking AI questions to building workflows that simplify work, strengthen thinking and create impact. Through two daily sessions and one practical learning experience, we're building skills from practice. Make your contribution through the link below and join us online or in person: paypal.com/ncp/payment/BAT9P…

What do you do with what you know? Someone, somewhere, needs your knowledge, skills and experience. Have you registered to give back this year? Join #MEgives 2026, 30 Nov–4 Dec, and turn your M&E expertise into practical action and meaningful impact. Register by 23 October. forms.gle/PxWm7sLshPtuTiGaA Give what you know and create an impact that matters. #MEgives #MEBench #GivingBackThroughEvidence

You know that person. You know that institution. The one doing extraordinary work that deserves to be seen by the world. Have you nominated them yet? If not, this is your moment. Nominate an outstanding individual, team, institution or government agency for the Global M&E Impact Awards 2026. Tap the link below. Make the nomination. Give great work the recognition it deserves. forms.gle/BEeFV2Nh3qA9UQ9i8 Someone is waiting to be recognized. It could be your nomination that puts them on the global stage.

Your expertise can change more than a report, it can change a life From 30 November - 4 December 2026, M&E professionals and institutions around the world will come together for #MEgives - giving their time, skills and knowledge to strengthen communities, organizations and people through Monitoring & Evaluation and at no cost. What will you give? Where will you make an impact? To join this global noble cause, register through this link by Friday, 23 October 2026. forms.gle/PxWm7sLshPtuTiGaA #MEgives #MEBench #EvidenceForImpact #GivingBackThroughEvidence

Who changed what? Who used evidence when it mattered most? From AI and shrinking development financing to public health emergencies, conflict and growing pressure on institutions, the world is changing and so is the work of Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning. Behind these changes are people and institutions quietly using evidence to improve decisions, strengthen systems and create impact. Now, it is time to recognise them. GLOBAL IMPACT AWARDS 2026 We are calling for nominations of exceptional individuals, teams, institutions and government agencies whose work is shaping the future of M&E, evidence, learning and accountability. Who is the changemaker you believe the world should know? Nominate them through this link: forms.gle/BEeFV2Nh3qA9UQ9i8 📅 Nominations close: 05 October 2026 🏆 Awards Ceremony: 11 December 2026 Measure what matters. Recognise those who make it matter.

📖 M&E Bench Digest | Volume 5 is here! From Data to Influence: PDFs Don’t Change the World. Stories Do. We’re excited to bring you the fifth volume of the M&E Bench Digest, a collection of powerful insights from Patricia Egessa on turning evidence into something people can understand, remember and act upon. Because data tells us what is happening. Stories help people understand why it matters. This issue will challenge you to look beyond the report, the dashboard and the indicator and think differently about how your evidence creates influence. Volume 5 is out. Turn data into meaning. Turn meaning into action. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 Join Our WhatsApp Community chat.whatsapp.com/H9mrfZshuZ… 📡📹 Whatsapp channel whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbD… 🪐 Telegram Channel t.me/MEbench 🤳 LinkedIn linkedin.com/company/evaluat… ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

M&E Bench has reached a new global milestone: 75 countries 🌍 But 75 is more than a number. It represents 75 national contexts. Thousands of experiences. Diverse perspectives. Shared challenges. New connections. And a growing global community committed to strengthening Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning practice. What started as an ambition to create a more connected and practical M&E community is steadily becoming a global professional learning ecosystem, one that brings practitioners together across borders to learn, share, question, innovate and strengthen the way evidence informs decisions and impact. From fragmented practice to connected communities. From learning to application. From individual capacity to collective strength.

📊 BEYOND THE DASHBOARD A dashboard can look impressive… but does it actually tell the right story? In M&E, we collect mountains of data. We create charts, tables and dashboards. But the real skill is knowing how to turn all that data into clear insights that people can understand, trust and act on. This Friday, M&E O’clock takes us Beyond the Dashboard as we explore: Designing M&E Data Visualizations That Tell the Right Story 📅 Friday, 11 September 2026 ⏰ 12:00 PM (GMT) 👉 Register here: us06web.zoom.us/meeting/regi… Come ready to rethink how you visualize data. Don’t just make your data beautiful. Make it meaningful. Make it actionable. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 You can also join Our WhatsApp Community chat.whatsapp.com/H9mrfZshuZ… 📡📹 Whatsapp channel whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbD… 🪐 Telegram Channel t.me/MEbench 🤳 LinkedIn linkedin.com/company/evaluat… ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Introducing M&E Bench Women! Today, we launched M&E Bench Women, a platform created to bring women in Monitoring, Evaluation, Research & Learning together to connect, converse, learn, grow, lead, and transform. Women in M&E carry the same technical responsibilities as their colleagues while often navigating additional realities of motherhood, caregiving, family responsibilities, fieldwork, leadership, and the everyday demands of building a career. We believe these realities deserve to be understood not as limitations but as part of the context within which women contribute and thrive. M&E Bench Women is a space for honest conversations, mentorship, professional growth, leadership, peer support, and engendering M&E practice. And these conversations are not only for women. This is an invitation to the wider M&E ecosystem to listen, understand, and build workplaces and systems where everyone can thrive. To join M&E bench Women, click forms.gle/wVrzdY4q6BLovG1C6 Welcome to M&E Bench Women.

While others are waiting for opportunities, some are preparing for them. Are you among those waiting or the sharp ones preparing to join us in Uganda and Lesotho for the M&E Bench Lounge sessions this Friday 26th June 2026? Kampala, Uganda Chapter - buy.stripe.com/00weVdcqR0vm2… Maseru, Lesotho Chapter - buy.stripe.com/cNi5kD2Qh5PGa…

The biggest career regrets rarely come from attending an event. They come from missing one. Join professionals, practitioners, consultants, researchers, students, and leaders for an immersive M&E learning and networking experience in Nairobi from 8th - 10th July 2026. One decision. Three days. A lifetime of opportunities. Register through this link me-bench.org/bootcamps/inter…

🎖️ Every engagement matters What if every Summer Break M&E Bootcamp you attended, every M&E Bench Lounge discussion you contributed to, every Mashed M&E Newsletter article you wrote, every M&E O'clock session you attended, every M&E Bench podcast you featured on, and every #MEgives act of service you rendered could build your professional reputation and unlock Global opportunities? Welcome to the M&E Bench Professional Recognition & Certification Framework - where learning, contribution, and impact are recognized, rewarded, and celebrated. - Earn Professional Development Points - Progress toward globally recognized certification - Qualify for the Annual Global Impact Awards - Access exclusive opportunities in research, consultancies, mentorship, expert panels, and professional recommendations Don't just participate. Build your professional legacy. Learn. Contribute. Earn Recognition. Build Impact.