--- title: "M&E and MEAL software for NGOs | Relief One" description: "MEAL. Show what changed, and how you know. Every indicator against its target, with the evidence behind it." url: https://reliefapplications.org/relief-one/meal/ lang: en --- # MEAL: Every indicator against its target, with the evidence behind it. The logframe is a Word table, retyped into Excel. Values are added up by hand, and the same woman is counted in three activities. When the donor asks where a figure comes from, it takes a day to retrace. [Relief One](https://reliefapplications.org/relief-one/), Programmes & impact ## How it works Show what changed, and how you know. 1. Build the results framework. Theory of change, logframe (impact → outcome → output), indicators from your library, versioned with a diff. 2. Collect values. By hand, from field forms, or from an imported survey (XLSForm) or a CSV export from your survey tool, disaggregated by sex, age and disability. 3. See the pace. Each indicator against a line from baseline to target, computed, and you can open the calculation. 4. Hear from communities, and report. Feedback and complaints, lessons, evaluations, donor reports. ## What it does. - **Theory of change**: Assumptions per level, with an owner who watches them. - **Logframe builder**: In the donor’s matrix, checked as you type, exported to Word and PDF. - **Indicator engine**: Baseline, target and actual per period, with the pace computed. - **Disaggregation**: Sex, age and disability grids that cannot be saved half filled. - **Each person counted once**: Across activities and projects, direct and indirect kept apart. - **Field data**: Forms mapped to indicators; only validated submissions count. - **Community feedback**: From received to closed, sensitive complaints restricted. - **Lessons learned**: Recommendations that recur become lessons for new projects. ### The full list - **Theory of change**: With assumptions per level, each owned and watched. - **Logframe builder**: In the donor’s matrix, checked as you type; Word/PDF export; several frameworks per project consolidating upward. - **Indicator library and engine**: Baseline, target, actual per period, tolerance band, pace (Target met / Ahead / On pace / Behind / Well behind), the owner’s own status with a reason. - **Disaggregation**: Sex × age × disability (Washington Group questions) grids with a completeness ring, so half a table is never saved. - **Beneficiaries counted once**: Across activities and projects, direct and indirect apart, with consent-guarded profiles and duplicate matching. - **Field data**: Forms mapped to indicators, validated submissions only, each counted once. - **Community feedback and accountability**: Received → Acknowledged → Under investigation → Answered → Closed; sensitive complaints restricted; trends by who speaks. - **MEAL plan and monitoring calendar**: Surveys, visits, evaluations, reviews. - **Lessons learned**: Proposed to new projects; recurring recommendations become organisational lessons. - **Self-evaluation**: Against your quality framework, with a radar chart. ## What makes the difference - A donor asks where a figure comes from, and you open it. - Each person counted once. - Community feedback is logged and answered. ## With your AI agent One question can cross several modules. The note to the M&E officer is marked "To validate" until someone accepts it. - **A question**: “Which indicators are behind target in Kassala, and what does the field data say?” - **Reads**: MEAL, [Field Data Collection](https://reliefapplications.org/relief-one/field-data/), [Information Management & Maps](https://reliefapplications.org/relief-one/information-management/) - **Comes back**: The indicators behind target, and a note to the M&E officer (To validate) - [More use cases](https://reliefapplications.org/relief-one/ai-agent/) ## Connected to It shares its records with these modules. - [Programme Management](https://reliefapplications.org/relief-one/programmes/): Which activities can start, and what blocks them. - [Grant Management & Donor Reporting](https://reliefapplications.org/relief-one/grant-management/): What each grant still needs from you. - [Projects & Time](https://reliefapplications.org/relief-one/projects/): Hours and costs, per project. - [Field Data Collection](https://reliefapplications.org/relief-one/field-data/): Offline mobile forms that feed your indicators. - [Your AI Agent](https://reliefapplications.org/relief-one/ai-agent/): An assistant that works from your own data. - [Information Management & Maps](https://reliefapplications.org/relief-one/information-management/): Who does what, where. Guide: [Monitoring and evaluation tools for NGOs](https://reliefapplications.org/resources/monitoring-and-evaluation-tools-for-ngos/) ## Before you book a demo. ### How do you stop one person being counted twice? Beneficiaries are matched for duplicates across activities and projects, with direct and indirect reach kept apart. Profiles are consent-guarded, and only validated field submissions count towards an indicator. ### Which disability questions sit behind the disaggregation? The Washington Group questions, crossed with sex and age. A completeness ring shows how much of each grid is filled, and a half-filled table cannot be saved. ### Can we start with MEAL alone? Yes. Each organisation starts with the base, then picks its modules. You can start with one and add others later. ### Can we switch a module off later? You can, and its data is kept. A module switched off disappears from menus and search, and switching it back on restores it. ### Can you import from our spreadsheets and current tools? Yes: people, projects, budgets, policies, files (including a one-time import or a live two-way sync with Google Drive), and the content of your existing workbooks. Connectors to your other systems are built as part of the project. ## Next module - [Field Data Collection](https://reliefapplications.org/relief-one/field-data/): Offline mobile forms that feed your indicators. ### Programmes & impact - [Programme Management](https://reliefapplications.org/relief-one/programmes/): Which activities can start, and what blocks them. - [Field Data Collection](https://reliefapplications.org/relief-one/field-data/): Offline mobile forms that feed your indicators. - [Case Management](https://reliefapplications.org/relief-one/case-management/): Confidential files for each person you support. - [Cash & Voucher Assistance](https://reliefapplications.org/relief-one/cash-assistance/): Pay each household once, and reconcile the round. - [Information Management & Maps](https://reliefapplications.org/relief-one/information-management/): Who does what, where. - [Add to your Relief One](https://reliefapplications.org/relief-one/build/) - [The base](https://reliefapplications.org/relief-one/platform/): The part every organisation gets. - [Relief One](https://reliefapplications.org/relief-one/) ## Book a demo of Relief One. Tell us how your organisation works and which modules you are looking at. We show you Relief One on the parts that matter to you.