1 Introduction

This toolbox aims at being an entry point for humanitarian or development NGOs that are beginning their Information Management (or more specifically their program data) journey, and want to know the basics before going too far on a related technical topic or approach.

It is composed of two sections:

• A glossary of the main terms to master to start off,
• An FAQ of the most common questions that smaller NGOs have on the topic.

Link to other toolboxes

It touches upon important Data Management concepts that are discussed in greater depth in:

• the Mobile Data Collection toolbox which outlines the steps involved in setting up a mobile data collection,
• the Data Analysis toolbox which provides an understanding of the basic principles and tricks of data analysis,
• the Data Visualisation toolbox which introduces you to the creation of relevant and effective data visualisations,
• the Responsible Data Management toolbox which provides an accessible and comprehensive overview of the different components, or “pillars”, of Responsible data and Data protection applied within the aid sector,
• the Covid19 program data toolbox which provides a number of resources for adapting programme data to a physically remote context.

Author

Created in 2006, CartONG is a French H2H/support NGO specialized in Information Management. Our goal is to put data at the service of humanitarian, development and social action projects. We are dedicated to improving the quality and accountability of field activities, in particular through better needs assessments and monitoring and evaluation. We act as a multidisciplinary resources and expertise centre, accompanying our partners’ strategies and operations. Our staff and volunteers also support the community as a whole by producing documentation, building capacities and raising awareness on the technical, strategic and ethical challenges of digital technologies.

This toolbox was produced as part of the project “Strengthening Information Management within francophone CSOs” led by CartONG and co-financed by the French Development Agency (AFD) over the 2019-2022 period. For more information, see the article published on our website or contact us by email.

Acknowledgments

This publication is supported by the French Development Agency (AFD). Nevertheless, the ideas and opinions presented in this toolbox do not necessarily represent those of AFD.

This toolbox was designed using resources from Flaticon.com and The Noun Project.