The development sector is buzzing with yet another ‘new’ idea, Theory of Change. There are a number of reasons for this: o o o There is increasing pressure from donors and funders to demonstrate successful long-term impact. This has stimulated many organisations to look for new and better ways to represent what they do, so that they can demonstrate the impact of the efforts more effectively As development professionals, we are working in ever more complex areas of social change. These days we are much more “hands off” than we used to be. We are now more likely to be working through partners, building capacity, conducting advocacy campaigns etc. We are beginning to recognize that the frame approach to planning and evaluation falls short in being able to capture and represent this complexity effectively There is a growing body of funders and practitioners who believe that Theories of Change will reform the way that organisations plan for and assess their development efforts. They believe that the approach enables staff and partners to focus more directly on long-term changes rather than project-focused outputs and outcomes; and helps them to direct their energies more clearly. The result is that an increasing number of organisations are eager to understand what Theory of Change is all about and if it can actually support them in practical and useful ways to improve the ways in which they currently plan and evaluate their efforts. The purpose of this guide is to help managers and development practitioners to really understand what a Theory of Change approach involves and includes, how it can complement and strengthen already existing methods for planning and evaluation, and how to get started on this journey. It introduces the basic principles of applying a Theory of Change approach to planning, monitoring and evaluation, and explains how these principles can be applied for organizational planning and strategizing, for programme planning, monitoring and evaluation or for individual projects. It is important to note from the start that there is no such thing as ‘one theory of change’. There are as many theories of change as there are planners and development practitioners practicing the approach. In fact, applying a theory of change approach is a bit like applying principles of the French cuisine: There are a few basic principles to stick to, for it to be French cooking. The ways these principles are applied are as diverse as the number of cooks. Therefore, we have decided that this should be an inspirational guide rather than a set of recipes. And we will refer to a Theory of Change approach through out this guide in order to highlight this fact. We hope that the content will provide you with both the inspiration and practical guidance to apply these principles in your own work and where you find it most relevant. The hope is that when applying the approach, you will improve organizational learning about how you can contribute to change, and that you will find it easier to assess the feasibility of your strategies and to document the results of your work.