Fieldwork and evaluation: doebem’s methodology for effective giving and social impact multiplication

Whenever we have the opportunity to share more about our work at doebem, a fundamental aspect that draws attention is the rigor of our Research and Evaluation process, especially our fieldwork routine. This approach is central to ensuring your effective giving. We believe that nothing replaces an in-person visit in its role of revealing the implementation dynamics of an intervention and the nuances of the relationship between an organization and the communities benefited by it, ensuring transparency and the potential for social impact.

doebem’s work has taken our research team to extraordinary places where civil society rises to multiply impact within communities. Since 2022, we have visited thirteen effective organizations across Brazil, delving into vital themes such as vision health, water and food insecurity, and non-communicable diseases (NCDs), reinforcing our commitment to highlighting initiatives with the greatest potential for impactful giving according to our cause prioritization.

Fieldwork as the key to transparency and impact multiplication

In-person technical visits play a key role in doebem's evaluation methodology for interventions. Once the first two stages of data collection (online surveys and interviews) are completed, our research team organizes an analytical matrix to study the institutional strength of the finalists.

From there, we develop a script to clarify organizational and intervention aspects in loco, heading out into the field. There, we see firsthand the landscapes impacted by effective solutions closely linked to their territory, without ever losing sight of the evidence for effectiveness.

As researchers, we are committed to the robustness of this evidence. This commitment is expressed through the cost-effectiveness analysis, a method that allows us to apply data collected and confirmed in the field to measure impact, compare distinct initiatives, and guide our donation recommendations. To meet this need, the work of data collection and analysis is intense.

Effective fieldwork: a collaborative approach to mutual learning

However, an ethical concern also guides how we view and conduct technical visits: the goal of promoting a collaborative activity rather than an extractive one. In this model, where data is not simply extracted as a resource from field participants, the evaluated Non-Profit (NGO) and its community have the opportunity for self-knowledge by understanding their impact mechanisms and identifying room for development. At doebem, our mindset is one of constant learning; in the field, we become apprentices of effective organizations and communities that hold the expertise to impact problems they know best. This is how effective fieldwork is done: an exchange of equally valuable knowledge, with the goal of generating the greatest possible impact.

This model of collaboration and mutual learning materializes in every field visit. It is through this authentic exchange that we manage to deepen our understanding of organizations' local expertise. For example, when visiting projects to ameliorate water or food insecurity, we don't just collect data; we become apprentices of the effective solutions born from intimate knowledge of the territory. We have seen, in the field, the power of agroecology and urban community gardens, not just as "interventions," but as impact ecosystems developed by communities with practical experience in solving problems like hunger in degraded areas. Similarly, when evaluating organizations working on NCDs, we learned that the most effective organizations act as strategic partners to the Unified Health System (SUS), collaboratively filling gaps in primary and complex care management.

From evidence to local solutions: maximizing donation impact

Thus, doebem’s effective fieldwork is a two-way street: our analytical rigor joins community wisdom to co-construct a high-level impact evaluation. This mindset of constant learning not only reinforces the cost-effectiveness evidence we seek but also ensures that our donation recommendation is deeply rooted in the reality and needs identified by the organizations themselves and their audiences, maximizing the potential of every dollar donated.

doebem’s journey through the field is living proof that effective giving does not depend on goodwill alone, but rather on an unwavering commitment to research and evidence. Our evaluation methodology, which culminates in on-site visits and cost-effectiveness analysis, is what allows us to identify and support the most effective organizations in Brazil. By striving to conduct effective fieldwork, we transform each technical visit into a collaboration where community experience joins analytical rigor to build a high-level impact evaluation. This process ensures that every donation focuses on projects that demonstrate the greatest potential for impact multiplication, ensuring that you can give with impact and be certain that your contribution is, in fact, generating the greatest possible benefit for the country’s most urgent causes.

We invite you to be part of this data-driven movement and invest in the effective solutions that are transforming Brazil.