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

This policy brief describes a project commissioned by the Institute of Security Studies (ISS) between January and March 2022 to develop theories of change (ToCs) for three community-based organisations (CBOs) focused on violence prevention in rural South Africa. The document examines how ToCs can link theory to practice, support impact tracking, and align community-led interventions with established violence prevention literature.

• Community-based organisations (CBOs) possess deep, context-specific knowledge and established community relationships that allow them to design interventions that are both contextually relevant and aligned with best practices in violence prevention literature.
• A theory of change (ToC) serves as a strategic tool that communicates a programme's underlying logic, facilitates internal and external communication, supports programme planning, and provides a foundation for monitoring, evaluation, and reporting impact.
• The project identified six common 'baskets of services' across the participating CBOs that contribute to violence prevention by addressing risk factors such as unemployment and substance abuse: early childhood development, psychological support, afterschool/holiday programmes, youth development, caregiver training, and gender-based violence (GBV) preventive education.
• In-person consultations were found to be more effective than virtual engagements for ToC development, as they fostered stronger connections, allowed for richer engagement with the conceptual tools, and increased the likelihood of organisational buy-in.
• Language barriers can hinder the inclusivity of ToC development, particularly when consultants and CBO staff do not share a primary language; the use of reflection tools like worksheets can help capture insights from non-English speaking team members.
• To ensure the long-term utility and ownership of a ToC, the process must be led by the end users rather than external coordinators, as organisations unfamiliar with the concept may otherwise view the exercise as a mere 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} }