Monitoring and Evaluation

Monitoring & Evaluation

The rigorous evaluation of programmes is vital to understanding the impact and value of any initiative.

As the scale of counter-extremism work worldwide grows, ensuring that our efforts are based on evidence becomes ever more important. Yet measuring the impact of counter-extremism programmes and policies is a complex process, not least because of the difficulty of assessing behavioural change, the connection between offline and online actions and the controversial and sensitive nature of the subject matter.

ISD’s research team includes highly experienced evaluation experts who design and implement robust impact assessment strategies for offline education programmes as well as online campaigns and interventions.

Drawing upon significant experience in identifying proxy indicators, ISD’s monitoring and evaluation team design innovative impact questionnaires and regularly trial new and original evaluation approaches. ISD researchers also have extensive experience in the evaluation of civil society projects and programmes in a vast array of national contexts, and can provide expert consultancy and evaluation services to civil society actors working in this space.

In addition to innovative offline evaluation design, ISD has been at the cutting edge of the evaluation of online communications campaigns beyond reach and engagement metrics. In 2016, ISD was a partner in the development of a unique social listening tool calibrated specifically to assess the behavioural impact of online information campaigns.

In addition to the results from ISD online evaluations, which can be read at the links below, we also seek to provide guidance to civil society organisations for how they can design and measure the impact of their campaigns. If you would like to speak to someone on the ISD team about evaluating your work, please email [email protected].

ISD has developed groundbreaking M&E protocols over the past decade

Latest Publications

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ISD’s M&E team

Sarah Kennedy

Chief Operating Officer

Sarah Kennedy is Chief Operating Officer of ISD, overseeing the operational effectiveness of the organisation globally. This includes leading the finance, HR, operations, security, governance and legal functions of the organisation. Sarah has over 15 years’ experience in UK and international non-profit organisations and previous roles included serving as UK Director of Kenyan NGO S.A.F.E., and Head of Partnerships & Events at the think tank Demos. Sarah holds a First Class degree in Economic and Social History from the University of Bristol and an MA in Legal and Political Theory from UCL. She additionally holds an Art & Design Foundation Diploma from Kingston University; a Certificate in International Business Practice and an International Diploma in Management from University of Cambridge International Exams; and a Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) Certificate in Business Accounting.

Gil Jung

Director of Communications and Events, ISD Germany

Gil Jung is the Director of Communications and Events at ISD Germany. As a communications expert with many years of international experience, Gil acts as ISD Germany’s main interface between the media, key stakeholders and programme teams, as well as on all organizational matters. Gil worked as a journalist in Bonn London and Paris before switching to public relations. She has left a broad portfolio of clients from the private sector behind to support the strategic expansion of ISD Germany in the DACH region.

Duaa Khalid

Director of Project Operations, Strong Cities Network

Duaa Khalid is the Director of the Strong Cities Network (SCN) Project Operations at ISD, leading on all SCN operational management including grant management, financial management, new business development, compliance, procurement, risk management and resource management. Duaa has 15 years of experience working with non-profit organisations and international charities managing international programs and donor relationships with DFID, EU and USAID, among others. Previously, she worked with Save the Children UK and Marie Stopes International. Duaa holds a BSc Hons in Economics from Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) and an MSc in Development Studies from the London School of Economics and Political Sciences (LSE).

Tim Squirrell

Director of Communications and Editorial

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Tim Squirrell is the Director of Communications & Editorial at ISD. He is responsible for managing the Institute's communications strategy, ensuring that publications reach the right audiences and that ISD continues to drive the discussion around areas of extremism, hate, polarisation and disinformation. He previously worked as a senior advisor on counter-terrorism to the British government, providing expert insights on right-wing, misogynist and esoteric extremist and terrorist threats. Tim holds a PhD in Science and Technology Studies from the University of Edinburgh, where he wrote his thesis on the social dynamics of online communities.

Emma Armfield

Global Finance Manager

Emma Armfield is Global Finance Manager at ISD, responsible for the day to day running of the office finances. She has 16 years' experience working within finance across various sectors and is a fully qualified member of the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT).