Monitoring and Evaluation Systems and Performance of Projects Funded by Faith-Based Organizations: A Case of Fresh fire Church International, Ghana

Abstract

The research aimed to investigate the impact of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems on the performance of projects funded by FreshFire Church International, a faith-based organization in Ghana. To attain this objective, the mixed research approach combing both qualitative and quantitative methodologies were utilized. This approach enabled the researcher to amalgamate the strengths of both methodologies, corroborate the findings via methodological triangulation, and enhance the validity of the outcomes. Within the framework of the mixed method, the cross-sectional descriptive research design was employed using a total of 206 sampled respondents comprising project officers, church leaders, donors and church members. Both researches designed Questionnaires and interview guides were utilized as the main instruments for the data collection and the data were analysed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. The results were presented in tables. The study revealed that the dominant method used for M&E process is surveys or questionnaires. This suggests that this method is considered effective within the context of these projects and maybe a standard part of the M&E processes. Stakeholder competency in Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) has a substantial impact on the performance of projects funded by FreshFire Church International. Stakeholder competency significantly aids in revealing the strengths and weaknesses of these projects. Also, the study found that the application of Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) outcomes significantly impacts the performance of projects funded by FreshFire Church International.