Value of ‘theory of change’ for community-based organisations

The document examines the development of Theories of Change (ToCs) for three community-based organisations (CBOs) in the Western Cape and Northern Cape. It finds that while ToCs provide a strategic framework linking theory to practice and align community-led interventions with global best practices, their success depends heavily on organisational ownership, in-person engagement, and inclusivity regarding language barriers.

• Community-based organisations (CBOs) are well-positioned to design contextually relevant interventions due to their deep understanding of the populations they serve and their established methods of meaningful community engagement.
• The development of Theories of Change (ToCs) can provide CBOs with a strategic framework that connects theory to practice and establishes a foundation for monitoring, measuring, and reporting the impact of their work.
• There is strong alignment between the community-led interventions of the studied CBOs and established violence prevention literature, confirming the value of ground-up programme strategies.
• The effectiveness of ToC development is significantly influenced by the mode of engagement; in-person meetings fostered more meaningful connections and greater organisational buy-in compared to virtual consultations, which suffered from technical disruptions and a lack of personal touch.
• Language barriers can hinder the inclusivity of the ToC process, particularly when consultants and CBO staff do not share a primary language; this can be mitigated by using reflection tools like worksheets in the staff's preferred language.
• For a ToC to be successfully adopted and owned by an organisation, the process must be led by the end users rather than being commissioned as an external administrative task.

APA

Horler, J., & Joffe, J. (2022). Value of ‘theory of change’ for community-based organisations. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/policybrief-177.pdf

Chicago

Horler, Jessica, and Jenna Joffe. Value of ‘theory of change’ for community-based organisations. Institute for Security Studies, 2022. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/policybrief-177.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Horler |first1=Jessica |last2=Joffe |first2=Jenna |title=Value of ‘theory of change’ for community-based organisations |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=2022 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/policybrief-177.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{horler2022value, author = {Horler, Jessica and Joffe, Jenna}, title = {{Value of ‘theory of change’ for community-based organisations}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2022}, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/policybrief-177.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }