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Yes, added to this,
Theory of Change defines long term outcomes/ impact and then maps backward to identify required preconditions and interventions.
This explains the causal linkages of initiatives, shorter-term, intermediate, and longer-term outcomes of them.

Theory of Change is essentially a comprehensive description and illustration of how and why a desired change is expected to happen in a particular context. It is focused in particular on mapping out or “filling in” what has been described as the “missing middle” between what a program or change initiative does (its activities or interventions) and how these lead to desired goals being achieved.

In two sentences or fewer, define what the goals of the Theory of Change process are.

Theory of Change is finding a path with clear objectives and measures of success at every step of the way to the long term outcome.

The goals of the Theory of Change are to define, show and explain how, when and why the planned activities (interventions) will bring about the expected outcomes (impact).

Very good and simple definition

The theory of change helps to show the big picture of the path way to take in order to attain a long term goal. It can be broken down into different components with intervention(s) that create 1 or many preconditions and that can lead to the final big goal. The success of the interventions can be measured with indicators at differents steps of the way.

Theory of Change or ToC allows program proponents to be precise of the change they want to see in their program. By initiating different activities that will produce immediate results, they would be able to achieve their set goals and ensure that it will produce a lasting impact.

Technically explained, as it focused o the outcome and the impact.

it is an approach that seek to help us know what we do ( as organizations' and even individual) and what impact this has , is the input ( activities and the interventions) measurable output and what evidence do we have to show this claim . this approach therefore helps us to be accountable in all aspects.

The Theory of Change is a tool used to clarify how an Organisation intends to create and measure change.
It’s a essential strategic process to make a measurable impact on the world.

As a tool to identify and define the path from activities to long-term goals, the theory of change has been thought to help the organizations create and follow the right pattern to achieve long-term outcomes. It is not only useful to set objectives but to measure them and address intermediate goals to reach the final goal.

The goals of theory of change process are to understand the different outcomes that are thought as preconditions for long-term goals by defining the indicators to measure success, as well as to think of assumptions of outcomes during the pathway.

theory of change helps us to describe how the different activities carried out by an organization will lead to the desired outcome and impact

The goals of the Theory of Change process are to set long term outcomes through a clear path in which all the stakeholders are involved in establishing the activities that are necessary to reach such goals, but also engaged in discussing the reasons behind every decision, thus avoiding unclarities and gaining a common and shared knownledge of the process as a whole.

theory of change helps us describe how different in puts or activities will lead to the desired outcomes and impact

A theory of change allows stakeholders to think the underlying logic of the connections between preconditions and planned interventions to achieve long-term goal. It will help illustrating how much can realistically be done given the resources and time available, by making everything clear to everyone involved.

To have an ultimate long-term goal (impact) from which our interventions will be determined, together with immediate outcomes so as to avoid implementing a mistake.

ToC is a process that aims to create a debate among the members of a project or an organisation about the objectives and the means of the organisation itself. It provides the tools and the methodology, but the success lies on the will of the involved actors.

A goal of a theory of Change is one of the objective desired statement that a project intended to achievement

ToC is a fundamental tool to ensure the effectiveness of our project. Thanks to an accurate pathway of change we underline the link among the "activities", the "intermediary outcomes", the "outcomes" and the "impact" of our project.
ToC is usefull to design a project, since we don't have to design and implement activities that end in themselves but we have to be sure to achieve an impact/long-term outcome.

Thegoals of theory of change are bringing all stakeholders to a common understanfing of the Long term outcome of any project, the preconditions/ early signals to be achieved towards the Long term outcome and the initiatives that will enable achievement of preconditions. It also includes assumptions which acknowledge knowledge, resource and time deficits, what will be the indicators of achievement of pre-coditions and Long term goals and how success of long term goals will be documented.

Very well explained.

The goal of the theory of change process is to understand how your program/activities lead to the desired outcomes and define this before you begin work.

I agree with you!

Theory of Change illustrate a proposed pathway to the change

The goal of Theory of Change Process is to ensure all the planned activities/Interventions lead to intended intermediate outcomes and subsequently to the overall intended goal/out of the Organization to avoid misalignment and misallocation of the resources.

the goals of the theory of change is to provide the organisation a clear road map of where/what the it intends to achieve to succeed.

Identifying steps that have to be taken to achieve the desired long-term goal of a programme/initiative (identifying the pathway of change that includes a clear description and stakeholders' consensus on preconditions and interventions as well ad underlying assumptions).

@MES-Diyan said in Module 1: Introduction to Theory of Change:

The Theory of Change provides the big picture of the intended change. It defines the long-term goal of a project and the broad strategic areas of intervention, and then maps the building blocks or preconditions, that need to be in place for the long-term change to occur. The Theory of Change also identifies the assumptions that need to hold true for the project to succeed, and the evidence that is available to support them.

Very precise description of the ToC process

to help you consider and articulate the assumptions that lie behind your reasoning.

The goal of the Theory of Change process is to explain how a long-term goal can be reached through intermediate actions that are a consecuence of direct intervetions of the stakeholders. All of this have to be measurable and has to be based on asumptions supported by reseraches or best practices.

Hello! I'm Vicente. Currently working on a venezuelan based human rights NGO.

the goals of the Theory of Change process are to ensure that they provide a well thoughtful pathway for the organizations activities that are intended to achieve and describes how these activities lead to the outcomes.

its a good submission because they like the concept of inclusion in your point which is participation.

i agree with you comrade. and we shouldn't for get that it is the terminologies used to ensure we have the intended outcomes

The goal of the processes of theory of change is to illustrate a clear picture of the activities/actions to be done in order to achieve intermediate goals.

The goal of the Theory of Change is to help all stakeholders come to a consensus on the long term outcomes they are trying to achieve, and the early and intermediate outcomes that have to be achieved for it to be successful, how the outcomes will be measured and what specific actions must be taken. It also forces stakeholders to be transparent about their assumptions.

The Goal Of A Theory of Change
The goal of a theory of change is to have a guide that ensures that the desired long-term outcome is achieved at the end of the day. To achieve this, there is the need to embark on the process that spells out all that is needed to be done, how they are needed to be done, and the explanations behind the choice of what have been chosen to be done including pictures that point us to the direction of the desired outcome.

The Goal Of A Theory of Change
The goal of a theory of change is to have a guide that ensures that the desired long-term outcome is achieved at the end of the day. To achieve this, there is the need to embark on the process that spells out all that is needed to be done, how they are needed to be done, and the explanations behind the choice of what have been chosen to be done including pictures that point us to the direction of the desired outcome.

1. Raises new questions for stakeholders to consider.
2. Plan about rsource use.
3. Getting a real picture of how the change process is complex.
4. Describe how much work must be done to reach a goal.
5. Making everything clear to
   everyone involved.

Exactly. Also, Theory of Change defines long-term goals and then maps backward to identify necessary preconditions.

I worey that my organisation might confuse accountability with hope. To avoid this I will advice to make sure my organization get real about the impact we're are signing up to create, not just what we hope will happen.

The goal of the theory of change process are to be able to clearly articulate your mission and how it is achieved. This includes facing assumptions built into your understanding of the pathway to achieve this change, determining the fit of resources available to create the change and indicators for measuring the success of the actions towards the change.

The goal of the theory of change is to create a pathway or and process for solving social problems.

Precise and articulate definition. The goal is for there to be a defined process for solving social problems. this is to avoid implementing none-working or none-impacting activities.

1. T help you understand and measure the impact of your intervention
2. To create a system that helps the organisation align their programmes with their goal

1. T help you understand and measure the impact of your intervention
2. To create a system that helps the organisation align their programmes with their goal

The goals of the Theory of Change process are:
to find a better way of achieving results that have never been obtained before.

I'm afraid my organization has a very faint concept of accountability because we think we have it all figured. To avoid this I think I need more accountability and discipline to stick to critical objectives

The theory of change could be described as the activities of an organization that lead to small and big outcomes, which eventually lead to the organization reaching its long term goal/impact.

To Clearly communicate you strategy
To produce better outcome

Am in agreement with this, the magic words there are strategy and outcome.

The goal of theory of change is to have a logical explanation/ rationale of cause and effect resulting from a deliberate interventions( activities).

Theories of change are a more detailed understanding of the social impact intervention for change an organisation is undertaking and a step by step process of how it(the organisation) intends to achieve this change(longterm outcome)

ensure that we have enough resources to achieve what we want to acheive.
ensure that we are utilizing our resources to achieve what we want to achieve, our activities are leading to the desired outcome

The goals of the theory of change is to develop solutions to complex problems by describing a project's pathway from the need being addressed to changes to be made and what you plan to do

The theory of change goal form a process to identifying a workable long-term goal and long-term outcomes.

Activities that lead to intermediate results

The major goal of TOC is have long time outcome

Theory of change is how activities lead to intermediate results

A theory of change process aims to clarify and confirm the linkages between an organization's activities, the preconditions we expect these activities to create, and the long-term outcomes we expect to emerge from these pre-conditions. The process also clarifies how we know we have achieved the preconditions and long-term outcomes we are aiming to achieve, and prompts us to explicitly articulate and verify the assumptions we are making throughout.

The goals of the theory of change is to map out the long and short term outcomes you are looking to achieve from a program and how your intervention strategies & activities will contribute to achieving those outcomes; taking assumptions into consideration.

To explain the reasoning behind interventions and outcomes that are enough and necessary to reach a long-term goal. Also, to make clear the indicators that would be used to measure success as well as the assumptions underlying.

I think your definition is concise and clear.

A theory of change shows how activities interact to produce outcomes and goes further to provide evidence of this relationship.

The Goals of Theory of Change is to help clarify the visible and impact deliverables an organization intend to achieve

Theory of change help gives clarity to impact deliverables and outcomes an organization intend to achieve

The goals of the Theory of Change process are that they provide the necessary points to be taken into account for the betterment of the result and outcome an organization.

The goals of the theory of change processes are to articulate the assumptions about the process through which change will occur, and specifies the ways in which all of the required short and intermediate outcomes related to achieving the desired long-term change will be brought about and recorded as they occur.

The goal of a theory of change is to describe the link between project interventions, intermediate outcomes and the overall outcome (impact). It also describes why ones think the interventions will yield the desired outcomes while also outlining the assumptions within the change pathway.

The goal of a theory of change is to describe the link between project interventions, intermediate outcomes and the overall outcome (impact). It also describes why ones think the interventions will yield the desired outcomes while also outlining the assumptions within the change pathway.

Some of the Theory of Change process main goals are to define and describe the pathway to reach the organization´s long-term goals, to understand what and how to plan it, and to avoid implementing a mistake.

I agree with you, this is an accurate description of the goals of TOC

In my opinion, the goals of the Theory of Change process are to set up a logical explanations on why and how the planned interventions and associated resulted preconditions will eventually lead to expected long term outcomes. In addition, the change planners will gain consensus about the specific assumptions related to attaining the envisioned long-term outcomes.

Is to give clear picture on how and what type of impact the organization is trying to achieve.

A theory of change is a pathway of change that illustrates the relationship between what we want to achieve long term outcomes in a project and what we must do step by step which constructed with intervention, precondition, outcome, indicator, and assumptions.

The goal of theory of change is clarify the link between project intervention and the impact of the project

Theory of change is to define a pathway from a certain situation to a long term outcome. This pathway is going via preconditions which are the results of interventions. Preconditions have to have indicators.
It is important that the map of the theory of change is developed by all stakeholders to make sure that everybody can have an input and that the final map is understood by all.

Theory of Change (ToC) is a methodology for planning, participation, and evaluation that is used in companies, philanthropy, not-for-profit and government sectors to promote social change. Theory of Change defines long-term goals and then maps backward to identify necessary preconditions.

the goals of the Theory of Change process are: i) to ensure that each key priority area of the issue are addressed appropriately ii) it ensures that all steps are covered and well articulated to all that will be involved in implementation iii) to ensure effective and successful implementation that would yield profound lasting change in target audiences or target issue.

creating a theory of change raises new
questions for stakeholders to consider

Creating theory of change have the same characteristics of Logframe but used in different ways

The goal of Theory of Change process is to ensure that organisations come up with clear practical interventions that will ensure that their long term goal/s are attained.

A theory of change process can, therefore, assist organisations in crafting clear change pathways, design practical and realistic interventions, and attainable goals.

I think your answer captures the essense of ToC quite nicely. Simple and straight to the point.

help you describe a project’s pathway
from the need you are trying to address to the changes you want to
make (your outcomes) and what you plan to do (your activities).

The theory of change process should evaluate the connections between the change an organization is trying to achieve, how this can be done, the outcomes of these activities and why and how all of these will lead to said change. In order to attain this goal, the process should lead to a shared understanding of the objectives and how to measure their success among the people developing the theory.

I think that's a great summary Lina. For me the key is in 'avoiding implementing a mistake'. The process of creating a theory of change forces organisations to reflect on what they intend to do in order to ensure their efforts are effective and therefore their work is efficient.

Theory of change is a tool that helps you describe the need you are trying to address with the change you want to achieve or seek to achieve and the activities you would deliver.

Change theory is the results, strategies, and activities we want to change.
With the practical support of the organization, people with disabilities can live well and lead a healthy lifestyle. Many are actively involved in an inclusive lifestyle. In our organization: our imagination, results, actions and activities ensure our sustainability.

The Theory of Change outlines all the components to achieve a longer term ambition. It consists of impacts, outcomes, outputs, indicators and resources (and assumptions)

Get the better outcomes and indicators for a project o social complex problem

A theory of Change is a pathway of change that illustrates the relationship between a variety of outcomes that are each thought of as preconditions of the long-term goal.

The goals of the Theory of Change process are 1) to inform the stakeholders, while still at the inception stage, of the total complexity of the change process leading to the final desired goal through a diagram with brief descriptions and connections of activities, intermediate goals and progress measurement indicators, and 2) to serve as a base reference map in tracking and documenting progress of change process.

The Theory of Change process goal is to pursue a desired and successful change, by defining what is required to achieve it, and understanding the relationship between those actions and the outcomes; which also lead to another goal of this process, avoid the implementation of mistakes.

I like this definition of the goals, and I agree with it

The TOC can be described as a set of causal pathways that lead to a desired outcome or state.

The theory of change process goals are:
Enabling Planners and practitionners finding solutions of complex social by achieving their longterm goals through developping the pathways of change.

I think you would better say that it is a tool helping to adress problems not needs.

The goals of theory of change process are those steps that guide you to be able to know if you are making progress and have an effective implementation. These processes if followed will help to achieve a set goal with less confusion and more confidence

Specific and clear definition of theory of change