• Example organization: PSI

Questions:

• What type of family planning assistance is offered?
• For contraceptives:
  • Are contraceptives sold or given away? If sold with a subsidy, how large is the subsidy?
  • Are recipients instructed on proper use of contraceptives?
  • Are contraceptives regularly and conveniently available?
  • Do you monitor whether recipients use use contraceptives consistently?
  • What other means do people have to obtain contraceptives?
  • Do you monitor whether the number of unplanned births has decreased among beneficiaries?
• For abortion:
  • What reasons do women give for wanting an abortion?
  • For surgical abortions:
    • Who performs the procedure? Do you monitor whether procedures are of high quality?
    • For medical abortions:
      • Are drugs of high quality? Are they administered properly?
      • Do you monitor what percentage of pregnancies are terminated successfully without further intervention?
    • Are there legal restrictions on abortion in the country?
    • What proportion of procedures are in each the first, second, and third trimesters?
    • Do you monitor how often women experience post-abortion complications, whether they are able to receive care for complications, and whether they recover fully? Does the organization monitor whether women experience mental health or social consequences?
    • Are abortions available from other providers in the area?
  • How much has been spent on this program? How many families have received family planning assistance?
  • How would your activities change if you had more revenue than expected? Less? Would more revenue translate directly into more contraceptives/abortions, and up to what point?

• HIV/AIDS charity: overview

• Expanding immunization coverage: evidence review
• Example organizations: VillageReach, GAVI, UNICEF

Questions:

• What is your role in delivering vaccines? Is there evidence that lack of this service is a bottleneck to providing vaccinations to more children?
• Is funding from the charity replacing government services? How has government funding for immunization changed since the organization began work there?
• How are areas/populations chosen for immunization services? What were immunization rates before your involvement?
• How many children have been vaccinated? Which which vaccines? Is a child's previous immunization status verified before s/he receives vaccination?
• How have immunization rates changed in the areas you work in over time? How have child mortality rates changed?
• How much has been spent on the program?
• How would your activities likely change if you had more revenue than expected? Less? Would additional revenue translate directly into more children vaccinated, and up to what point?

• Example organizations: Vitamin Angels, GAIN

Questions:

• For micronutrient supplementation:
  • What supplements are used?
  • Who is target for supplements? Is there independent evidence that the supplements used improve health for the targeted group?
  • How often are supplements given? Does this match the accepted recommendations?
  • How are supplements delivered? Do supplements reach intended beneficiaries?
  • How much has been spent on the program? How many people have received supplements?
• For acute malnutrition treatment:
  • How are cases identified? Who are the patients?
  • What methods are used to treat cases?
  • What percentage of patients recover? Are they followed over time? If so, what percentage of patients experience acute malnutrition again?
  • How much has been spent on the program? How many patients have been treated?
• For breastfeeding promotion:
  • Who is targeted? What were breastfeeding practices among the targeted group before the program began?
  • Do participants' knowledge of recommended breastfeeding practices and the reasons to breastfeed increase due to the program? Do breastfeeding behaviors change due to the program?
  • Are children of participants healthier than children in a suitable comparison group?
  • How much has been spent on the program? How many mothers have participated?
• Are programs replacing government spending? How has government spending on malnutrition changed since your involvement?
• How would your activities change if you had more revenue than expected? Less? Would more revenue translate directly into more people receiving supplements/treatment/breastfeeding information, and up to what point?

• Neglected Tropical Diseases: overview
• Example organizations: Deworm the World, The Carter Center

Questions:

• How do your funds break down between subsidies and advocacy?
• For subsidies:
  • How much of the total spending on control programs has been covered by the charity, as opposed to the government?
  • How much in total has been spent? How many treatments have been provided?
  • How has the government been audited to ensure compliance with terms and conditions? Have cases of non-compliance been discovered? How have these been dealt with?
  • Has funding from the charity replaced government spending? How did government spending on mass drug campaigns change following the charity's involvement?
  • Do you intend to keep subsidies at the same level indefinitely, or does it intend for the government to take over activities? If the latter, what is your track record in accomplishing this very difficult task? Note that while we consider “sustainability” optional for some programs, it is crucial for deworming.
• For advocacy activities:
  • How much has been spent, what programs (and where) have been advocated, and to what results?
  • What does the future advocacy plan and budget look like, and what might be expected from it?
  • To the extent that advocacy has succeeded, has it resulted in (a) more government funding for NTD control with no offsetting cuts, i.e., increases in total medical budgets; (b) more government funding for NTD control at the expense of other health spending; (c) more funding for NTD control, contingent on more donor subsidies?
  • If (a), how has the increase in funding been financed? If (b), where have cuts been made, and to what extent has funding shifted from other worthy health spending? If (c), what are the answers to the key questions about subsidies (above)?

• Maternal mortality programs: evidence review

Questions:

• What type of interventions are provided? Is there independent evidence on the effectiveness of such interventions?
• For training traditional birth attendants:
  • What is taught? How long is the training?
  • What level of education do TBAs have? What previous training have they received?
  • Do trainees demonstrate increased knowledge of taught concepts following the program? Do you follow up with the attendants you've trained to assess whether they are correctly applying their training?
  • Are there high quality referral locations (such as clinics and hospitals) nearby? Are TBAs able, in practice, to refer birthing and postpartum mothers to these locations? Are the locations equipped to handle birth complications?
• For increasing access to skilled care:
  • How do you assess whether skilled caregivers are attending additional births that they would have not had the funding or motivation to attend otherwise?
  • What are the qualifications of the skilled caregivers?
  • Are high quality facilities available for births or referrals? Are they well stocked with essential medicines and equipment?
• For clean birthing kits:
  • What is contained in the kit?
  • How are kits distributed? Are they sold or given away for free? Do they reach at risk mothers?
  • Do you monitor whether kits used during birth and whether they used properly?
  • Are rates of infection lower among women that receive the kits than among a suitable comparison group?
• Do you monitor whether pregnancy complications or maternal deaths have decreased since the start of the program? Have they decreased relative to a suitable comparison group? Were there other changes occurring at the same time which may have contributed to these improvements?
• How would your activities change if you had more revenue than expected? Less? Would more revenue translate directly into more pregnant, birthing, and postpartum women receiving care, and up to what point?

• Example organization: Direct Relief International

Questions:

• How do you decide which medical centers to support? Is there evidence that grant recipients are high quality medical centers that lack needed supplies?
• How do you determined what supplies to send? Do you respond to requests from medical centers or determine what to provide independently? If you responds to requests, how long does it take for supplies to reach a medical center following a request?
• Do you monitor whether supplies reach intended beneficiaires? Do you monitor whether supplies are used and whether durable goods remain in use and in good condition?
• Has you evaluated whether providing cash grants would better serve the needs of medical centers?
• What proportion of total expenses reach medical centers as the value of medical supplies?
• How would your activities likely change if you had more revenue than expected? Less? Are there eligible medical centers whose requests for supplies you are currently unable to fulfill?

• What type of interventions are provided? Does independent evidence exist on the effectiveness of such interventions?
• How is care delivered? How are serious but treatable conditions identified? Who has access to care?
• Do infants receive high quality care? How is this monitored?
• Do you monitor whether interventions are effective at decreasing infant mortality rates?
• Is the organization diverting skilled labor? What were staff doing before the program?
• Is the organization replacing government services? How has government funding for neonatal health changed since the program began?
• How would your activities change if you had more revenue than expected? Less? Would more revenue translate directly into more infants receiving care, and up to what point?

• Example organization: Partners in Health

Questions:

• What type of conditions are treated? How serious are they?
• What are the qualifications of the staff?
• Were staff members employed before you hired them? If so, what were their jobs?
• Who are the patients? What is their standard of living?
• What other primary care services are there in the area? What services were available before you started working in the area?
• Do you monitor the quality of care?
• Has the number of patient visits grown over time?
• Do you survey clients to determine their satisfaction with the care they receive?
• Are patients required to pay a fee for care? What proportion of the cost of care is covered by patient fees?
• Are you replacing government services? How has government spending on primary care changed since you began working in the area?
• How much has been spent on this program? How many people have been served?
• How would your activities likely change if you had more revenue than expected? Less? Would additional revenue translate directly into more patient treatments for moderate to serious conditions, and up to what point?

• Surgery charity: overview
• Example organizations: Smile Train, ReSurge International (formerly Interplast)

Questions:

• How do you increase access to surgery?
• For charities focusing on surgical missions (i.e., flying developed-world doctors overseas to perform procedures):
  • Do you have volunteer surgeons available for unfunded trips? (i.e., are there trips that you could fund if you had more money, or is there a labor bottleneck?)
  • Many surgeries require follow-up treatment (including additional surgeries). Do you have a way of providing these to patients?
  • How do you assess whether surgeries are completed competently and appropriately? What process do you use to monitor this and can you share past results from this process?
  • What is the rate of complications during and following surgery?
• For charities focusing on funding local surgeons:
  • How do you assess whether surgeons are performing additional surgeries that they would have not had the funding or motivation to perform otherwise?
  • Related: how do you assess whether surgeons are charging their patients for the surgeries you fund?
  • How do you assess whether surgeries are completed competently and appropriately? What process do you use to monitor this and can you share past results from this process?
  • What is the rate of complications during and following surgery?
• For charities focusing on training local surgeons:
  • Do you follow up with the surgeons you've trained to assess whether they are correctly applying their training?
  • What information is available on the activities - and competence - of the surgeons you've trained?
  • Where do surgeons work after completing training? Do they serve poor patients?
• How much has been spent on this program? How many additional surgeries have been performed due to your work?
• How would your activities likely change if you had more revenue than expected? Less? Would additional revenue translate directly into additional surgeries, and up to what point?

• Example organizations: Fred Hollows Foundation.

Questions:

• Are you training existing health care personnel or people who have not worked in the field before?
• For training of existing personnel:
  • What skills are taught? What research has been done on the usefulness of these skills in the areas the personnel work in?
  • Do trainees demonstrate increased knowledge of taught concepts following the program? Do they incorporate what they learn into their work?
  • Do you monitor changes in the quantity and quality of patient treatments performed by personnel following the training program?
• For training new personnel:
  • What were trainees doing prior to the program? Were they employed? If so, in what capacity?
  • What do trainees do after the program? Are they able to obtain employment that uses the skills they have learned?
  • What skills are taught? What research has been done on the usefulness of these skills locally?
  • Do trainees demonstrate increased knowledge of taught concepts following the program?
  • Do you monitor whether the work performed by trainees is of high quality?
• How much has been spent? How many people have been trained? How much training did they each receive?
• How would your activities likely change if you had more revenue than expected? Less? Would additional revenues translate directly into more people trained, and up to what point?

• DOTS program: evidence review
• Example organization: Stop TB Partnership

Questions:

• Are drugs of high quality? How is this tested?
• Are high quality diagnostic services available?
• Do patients adhere to the full drug regime? What strategies are used to encourage adherence? How is adherence monitored?
• What treatment success/cure rates have been achieved in the past?
• Are your activities replacing government services? How has government spending on tuberculosis treatment changed since you began working in the area?
• What costs are patients required to cover? What percentage of total costs does this account for?
• Are patients with drug-resistant tuberculosis treated? What proportion of patients do they account for?
• How much has been spent? How many patients have been treated?
• How would your activities likely change if you had more revenue than expected? Less? Would additional revenue translate directly into more patients treated for tuberculosis, and up to what point?

• Example organizations: Women for Women

Questions:

• What topics are taught? How are topics chosen? Are they designed to improve participants' employment prospects, income earned, and/or ability to cope with unexpected events?
• Do you conduct surveys of participants' satisfaction with the program? What have past surveys shown?
• Does participants' knowledge of taught concepts significantly improve from the beginning to the end of the program?
• Do you monitor whether training results in employment, increased income, and/or increased stability? Is there evidence that these results are due to the training program?
• How much has been spent on this program? How many adults have been trained?
• How would your activities change if you had more revenue than expected? Less? Would more revenue translate directly into more trainees, and up to what point?

• Agricultural aid: overview
• Example organizations: COMACO, Vipani

Questions:

• What activities have been funded in the past?
• Have activities resulted in better results for farmers such as higher crop yields, higher incomes, greater food security, or better nutrition? Have results for farmers involved in the project been better than results for other farmers? What evidence is there that the results for farmers involved in the project are due to the project and not to other factors?
• If the program has resulted in greater crop yields, have these translated into improvements in the farmers' standard of living?
• For agricultural technologies (such as irrigation pumps, farming implements/machines, etc):
  • Have technologies remained usable over time? Are farmers able to repair damage to technologies themselves or easily access outside help?
  • Do you monitor whether farmers use the technologies?
  • If technologies are subsidized, how large is the subsidy? How are farmers selected to receive the subsidized technology?
  • Are the technologies available for purchase in the area?
  • Have technologies been shown to increase yields in the specific context they are being used in?
• For agricultural inputs (such as fertilizers, seeds, etc.):
  • Do inputs reach farmers at the appropriate times?
  • If inputs are subsidized, how large is the subsidy? How are farmers selected to receive the subsidized inputs?
  • Do you monitor whether farmers use the inputs?
  • Are the inputs available for purchase in the area?
  • Have inputs been shown to increase yields in the specific context they are being used in?
• For training programs:
  • Have the techniques that are taught been tested and shown to work in the specific context they are being advocated for?
  • Has farmers' knowledge of the techniques increased as a result of the training programs?
  • Do you monitor whether farmers implement the recommended techniques?
• For marketing programs:
  • How do prices compare to what farmers could otherwise sell their goods for? How large is the subsidy? Which goods are subsidized?
  • How are farmers selected to participate?
• Do you monitor whether activities resulted in damage to the environment, in particular damage that could hurt agricultural productivity in the future?
• How would your activities change if you had more revenue than expected? Less? Would more revenue translate directly into more farmers served by the program, and up to what point?

• Cash transfers: overview
• Example organizations: Village Enterprise Fund, Women for Women

Questions:

• Who is targeted for cash grants? What is their standard of living?
• Do cash grants successfully reach those in need, as opposed to being intercepted by more powerful interests? How is this monitored?
• What proportion of total expenses reach clients in the form of cash grants (as opposed to being used for other programs/expenses)?
• How is the size of cash grants determined? Is it carefully targeted to the needs of recipients?
• Is there reason to be concerned that the grants might create unexpected negative consequences on the local economy (e.g., by causing higher prices or increased crime due to one-time large influxes of funds)?
• How would your activities change if you had more revenue than expected? Less? Would more revenue translate directly into more poor people receiving cash grants, and up to what point?

• What type of jobs are created? What are the tasks completed? What are the hours?
• What were employees doing prior to being employed by you?
• How is the pay rate determined? How does the pay you offer compare to other jobs in the area requiring similar skill levels?
• What skills do employees gain from the jobs?
• How long do employees stay on average? What are the reasons that people leave? What do they go on to do?
• How much has been spent on the program? How many people have been employed and for how long?
• How would your activities change if you had more revenue than expected? Less? Would more revenue translate directly into more people employed, and up to what point?

• Gifts of livestock: overview
• Example organization: Heifer International

Questions:

• Who is targeted for livestock grants? What is their standard of living?
• Do livestock grants successfully reach those in need, as opposed to being intercepted by more powerful interests? How is this monitored?
• What proportion of total expenses reach clients in the form of livestock grants (as opposed to being used for other programs/expenses)?
• Are the livestock in good health? How is this monitored?
• Do the recipients of livestock gifts have the ability, in terms of knowledge and resources, to take care of the livestock well? How is this determined?
• Do you monitor whether livestock are treated well and cared for by recipients?
• Are large numbers of animals granted to the same area? Does this result in environmental damage or economic distortions?
• Why do you choose to provide livestock grants instead of cash grants?
• How would your activities change if you had more revenue than expected? Less? Would more revenue translate directly into more livestock grants, and up to what point?

• Who is targeted for grants? What is their standard of living?
• Do grants successfully reach those in need, as opposed to being intercepted by more powerful interests? How is this monitored?
• What proportion of total expenses reach clients in the form of gifts (as opposed to being used for other programs/expenses)?
• Why have the particular gifted items been chosen? Are similar products available for sale in the area? If the products are available for sale, why has the organization decided not to provide cash grants?
• Are large numbers of grants provided to the same area? Does this result economic distortions?
• How would your activities change if you had more revenue than expected? Less? Would more revenue translate directly into grants to more people, and up to what point?

• Microfinance charity: overview
• Example organizations: Small Enterprise Foundation, Chamroeun

Questions:

• For organizations that support microfinance institutions:
  • What type of assistance do you offer to microfinance institutions?
  • If technical assistance, what evidence is there that this assistance allows microfinance institutions to offer higher quality service or provide services to a greater number of clients?
  • If financial assistance, how do you determine the size and frequency of grants?
  • How do you select microfinance institutions to support? Can these institutions answer the questions below?
• For microlending institutions:
  • Is your institution profitable or have a history of creating profitable entities?
  • Have you had high repayment rates in the past? Are you able to provide a full picture of its repayment history that accounts for written off, rescheduled, and late loans and which is not susceptible to distortions?
  • Do you charge reasonable interest rates? Are you able to provide repayment schedules and full details of fees charged and savings requirements?
  • How often do clients drop out of the program? How your drop out rate is calculated? Do you regularly calculate the drop out rate and use it to monitor your own performance?
  • Do you monitor why clients drop out of the program? What have past reports shown?
  • How are loan officers evaluated? Are they rewarded for providing high quality service to clients?
  • What practices are there for preventing clients from taking on too much debt? Do you monitor whether such practices are effective at preventing over-indebtedness?
  • What practices are there for protecting clients from harassment from loan officers and group members? Do you monitor whether such practices are effective at preventing harassment?
• For organizations providing savings services:
  • What interest/fees do you offer/charge?
  • Are savers able to access funds when they need them? Are there restrictions on withdrawals? Are branches located near where clients live? Are they consistently well staffed and open when they are supposed to be? How is this monitored?
• Who are the customers? What is their standard of living?
• How much does it cost to provide financial services to one borrower? To one saver?
• How would your activities change if you had more revenue than expected? Less? Would more revenue translate directly into more people receiving financial services, and up to what point?

• What type of support does the organization offer?
• For credit:
  • Is your institution profitable or have a history of creating profitable lending entities?
  • Have you had high repayment rates in the past? Are you able to provide a full picture of your repayment history that accounts for written off, rescheduled, and late loans and which is not susceptible to distortions?
  • Do you charge reasonable interest rates? Are you able to provide repayment schedules and full details of fees charged?
  • How often do clients drop out of the program? How this drop out rate calculated?
  • Do you monitor why clients drop out of the program? What have past reports shown?
• For training:
  • Do trainees demonstrate greater knowledge of taught concepts at the end of the program? Do you monitor whether trainees correctly applying their training?
  • How are curricula created?
• Have enterprises supported in the past grown in revenue and employment? By how much? Is there evidence that this growth would not have occurred without your support?
• How much has been spent on this program? How many enterprises have you supported?
• How would your activities change if you had more revenue than expected? Less? Would more revenue translate directly into more enterprises receiving support, and up to what point?

• Example organizations: WaterAid, Charity: Water

Questions:

• Where was human waste deposited before latrines were constructed? Did it contaminate water and/or food sources?
• What design of latrine is used? How long are they designed to last? What happens to latrines after they are no longer usable?
• Do you monitor whether latrines remain in good condition and in use over time? For how long do you do this?
• Is contamination in water and/or food reduced in places that receive latrines? Are diarrhea rates reduced?
• Do users prefer new means of depositing waste to the means they used previously?
• How much has been spent on this program? How many latrines have been constructed?
• How would your activities change if you had more revenue than expected? Less? Would more revenue translate directly into more latrines, and up to what point?

• Example organization: WaterAid

Questions:

• What messages are communicated and how?
• Do those targeted have relatively easy access to the items needed to follow the messages (nearby water, sufficient soup, latrines, etc.)?
• Do those targeted demonstrate increased knowledge of recommended sanitation practices after the program? Do you monitor whether their behavior changes?
• Do you monitor whether incidence of diarrhea decreases? Do you monitor whether prevalence of other communicable diseases decreases?
• How much has been spent on the program and how many people have participated?
• How would your activities change if you had more revenue than expected? Less? Would more revenue translate directly into more people reached with sanitation education, and up to what point?

• Example organizations: Water for People, Water.org
• Water charity: overview

Questions:

• How far is the closest water source for the people you serve before you start construction?
• Do you monitor whether wells or other infrastructure you construct remain operational over the long term? How long do you do this? Can you share reports from your long-term monitoring?
• Do you address other sources of waterborne disease? Do you track the impact of your programs on disease incidence and prevalence over time and can you share technical reports on this impact?
• Do users prefer the new means of getting water to the means they used previously?
• How much has been spent on this program? How many wells or other infrastructure project have been constructed?
• How would your activities change if you had more revenue than expected? Less? Would more revenue translate directly into more wells and other infrastructure, and up to what point?

• What harmful contaminants exist in local water sources? Which of these contaminants have the purification technologies been shown to reduce/eliminate?
• Is the technology applied at the point of collection or point of use? If at the point of collection, do you monitor whether water is clean at the point of use?
• Do you monitor whether the technology is applied to all of a household's water?
• How are technologies distributed? Are they sold at full price, subsidized, or given away for free? Do they reach the intended targets?
• Do you monitor whether recipients use the technologies consistently and correctly?
• Do you monitor whether purification technologies allowed users to access more convenient water sources or sources with greater quantities of water?
• Do you monitor whether diarrhea rates, morbidity and/or mortality rates declined among users of the technologies? Is there evidence that they declined relative to a suitable comparison group?
• How would your activities change if you had more revenue than expected? Less? Would more revenue translate directly into more households having access to purification technologies, and up to what point?