Theory of Change: From Activities to Impact

Self-Study Certificate Course
Start: Immediate Access
Time: Around 12 hours to complete

What's Your Theory of Change?

Proposals fail when donors can't follow your logic. More and more are asking this question—and too many organizations struggle to answer it convincingly. In humanitarian and development work, traditional planning tools alone aren't always enough. Donors want to see your deeper thinking: the assumptions behind your logic and exactly how change happens in your context. Without a rigorous Theory of Change, organizations face:

• Rejected proposals when donors can't follow your logic from activities to impact
• Projects built on flawed assumptions about how change happens
• Wasted efforts implementing activities that don't create transformation
• Teams working hard without understanding how their efforts combine
• Missing what actually drives change in your specific context

This practical training introduces a more strategic and deliberate way of planning for change. You'll work backwards from your desired impact, surface hidden assumptions, and build theories that satisfy donors while guiding implementation. Through Theory of Change development, you can:

• Answer "What's your theory of change?" with confidence and clarity
• Work backwards from desired impact to design what's actually needed
• Question and validate assumptions at every level of your design
• Create and present compelling causal pathways that donors understand
• Align teams for greater impact

How You'll Learn

This self-paced course combines video lessons, practical exercises, and assessments:

• Video presentations with downloadable transcripts and handouts
• Practical templates and tasks for immediate application
• Reflection exercises to adapt concepts to your context
• End-of-module knowledge checks
• Certificate upon completion

Course developed and presented by Neil Kendrick, founder of ELD Impact, with 25+ years of experience training humanitarian professionals across 20+ countries