NGO MEL Framework

Discussion & Solutions
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are there there any member with software dev or experiences who know’s systems that help solve’s non-government monitoring and evaluation frameworks (data/input/output/outcome/indicator tracking, etc) for free i.e. open-source?

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You can check Odoo (https://www.odoo.com/)

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Here are the best truly open-source, self-hostable M&E systems for NGO program monitoring (input/output/outcome/indicator tracking):

Purpose-built M&E platforms (self-hosted, open-source):

  • MONIC — The strongest find. Full M&E system with KPI tracking, Theory of Change visualization, logframe builder, Gantt charts, questionnaire designer, and dashboards. Built on .NET/Angular/SQL Server. Actively maintained and presented at the Global Evaluation Initiative’s gLOCAL Evaluation Week. (monic.tech)
  • TolaData (Mercy Corps fork) — Built by Mercy Corps specifically for NGO results frameworks: indicator plans, target tracking, data aggregation across projects, and KoboToolbox integration for field data collection. Python/Django stack. The Community Edition is fully self-hostable.
  • M&E Insight — By Education Development Center. Tracks participants, activities, and indicators across education/health/workforce projects. ASP.NET, designed around Common Education Data Standards. Good if your programs are education-focused.

Data collection + integration layer (open-source building blocks):

  • KoboToolbox — The gold standard for free field data collection (offline-capable, multi-language, complex form logic). Not a full M&E system by itself, but pairs with TolaData or DHIS2 for the results framework layer. Used by 32,000+ orgs.
  • OpenFn Lightning — Workflow automation / data integration engine (Elixir/Phoenix). Connects KoboToolbox, CommCare, DHIS2, Salesforce, etc. into a unified pipeline. Certified Digital Public Good, fully open-source with no “community vs premium” split. Self-host with just PostgreSQL.
  • DHIS2 — Originally health-focused but increasingly used for education, WASH, and general program monitoring. Handles aggregate + individual-level (Tracker) data, custom indicators, dashboards, and reporting. Heavyweight but extremely capable if you need national-scale reporting.

Niche tools worth knowing:

  • LogframeLab — AI-assisted logframe builder that matches project descriptions to relevant indicators. Useful for proposal/design phase.
  • ICARDA Theory of Change Tool — Web app for designing causal linkage diagrams (outputs → outcomes → impact) with REST API backend.

Recommended stack for a small-to-mid NGO starting from zero: KoboToolbox (data collection) + TolaData (results framework & indicator tracking) — they have a native integration that auto-syncs submissions to indicator targets. If you need to connect more systems, add OpenFn Lightning as the glue layer.

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Hi @WhiteHat, awesome share comrade. Huge thanks for the compiling effot. Are you building some of the stated systems or have used them in previous work?