Budgetary Commitment

This indicator measures any changes to the amount of money budgeted by a given stakeholder (e.g. a local authority or a company) in addressing a given issue highlighted by the advocacy efforts.

Determine the indicator's value by using the following methodology:

1) Conduct interviews with key informants (incl. budget tracking experts) and review relevant budget documents to:

     a) Identify the budget amount committed to addressing the advocated issue i) before the advocacy actions began; and ii) at the end of each reporting period / the entire advocacy campaign. Keep in mind that given their nature, advocacy campaigns tend to be multi-annual, with interim targets that are reviewed each year. For example, a three-year campaign can have a target to increase the budget commitment to addressing a given issue by 60%, aiming for an annual increase of 20%.

     b) Identify the reasons for the change, focusing on the extent to which the advocacy efforts have contributed to it. 

2) To report on the indicator’s value, provide information on how big was the change (in percentages and the amount – e.g. year 1 saw a 20% increase in the budget committed, equalling 10,000 USD). Report on an increase only if there is solid evidence that the advocacy efforts contributed to the change.

1) Budget tracking – from the national to the local level - is a complex process. Engage a relevant expert to help you identify and analyse the data.

2) There are myriad influences on budgetary commitments, so gathering as much information as possible on the reasons for the change observed is critical.

3) Budgetary commitment is not the same as budget spent. There can be many levels between a high-level budget commitment and disbursement in the areas of operation. Actual spending is measured by the ‘Financial Disbursement’ indicator.