International Conference on ‘Promoting a Sustainable MEL Culture in the NGO Sector: Innovative Designs and Practical Lessons’

Funded by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, the International Conference on ‘Promoting a Sustainable MEL Culture in the NGO Sector: Innovative Designs and Practical Lessons’ was successfully held on 23 May 2025 via Zoom with over 520 participants in attendance, including scholars and practitioners from the United States, Thailand, Australia, South Korea, Mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.

During this conference, we were honored to have Prof. Cinzia CANALI, Director of the Emanuela Zancan Foundation in Italy, and Prof. Steven NGAI from the Department of Social Work at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, as our keynote speakers. Additionally, we had five plenary sessions’ speakers: Prof. Ilan KATZ from the Social Policy Research Center at the University of New South Wales; Prof. Minseop KIM, Prof. Angela Jialiang CUI, and Prof. Jessica Jia LI from the Department of Social Work at The Chinese University of Hong Kong; and Miss Wendy Wen Jie HUANG, Community Organizer at the Society for Community Organization in Hong Kong. In the insightful presentations, they have shared practical wisdom in program evaluation and promoting sustainability of the MEL framework from an innovative perspective.

In her keynote address, Prof. Cinzia CANALI introduced the “Methodological Arc”, a framework for evaluating interventions addressing complex social and health issues. Comprising five components—Assessment & Diagnosis, Prognosis, Plan (Responsiveness), Cure & Care, and Outcome Evaluation—this framework emphasizes assessing both needs and individual potential to engage beneficiaries in decision-making. Prof. CANALI shared project results demonstrating its impact on user outcomes and broader social change, offering practical lessons for effective implementation.

Prof. Steven Sek-yum NGAI presented findings from the second phase of the Jockey Club MEL Institute Project, a program evaluation capacity-building initiative for NGOs in Hong Kong. He noted an increasing emphasis on enhancing evaluation capacity at the organizational level within NGOs, while also highlighting a significant lack of empirical evidence regarding the effectiveness of program evaluation capacity-building initiatives. To address this gap, the project employed a quasi-experimental design with 429 participants, revealing substantial improvements in organizational evaluation capacity, particularly in evaluation readiness, infrastructure, and utilization, with evaluation readiness showing the most remarkable enhancement. Prof. NGAI emphasized the vital importance of investing in evaluation capacity to foster meaningful organizational change and improve outcomes in the NGO sector.

The plenary sessions further enriched the conference with diverse perspectives. Prof. Ilan KATZ explored methodological challenges in evaluating social impact to provide robust evidence for policymakers. Drawing from his extensive evaluation experience, he demonstrated how evaluations enhance service delivery and accountability. Additionally, he shared high-level policy developments in Australia aimed at enhancing evaluation practices in government and their broader implications.

Prof. Minseop KIM showcased the simple but powerful use of need assessments and outcome evaluations for NGO program planning and impact assessment. He highlighted that need assessments identify community service needs and are valuable during program planning, while outcome evaluations assess program effectiveness after implementation. Despite challenges in conducting internal evaluations, Prof. KIM demonstrated that a simplified approach can produce solid evidence of both need and effectiveness, supported by real program evaluation examples.

Prof. Angela Jialiang CUI and Miss Wendy Wen Jie HUANG examined stakeholder dynamics in social service evaluations. They explored the unique challenges of evaluating social service outcomes for underprivileged groups, emphasizing role ambiguity, participant expectations, and trust dynamics among stakeholders, including researchers, service providers, funders, and service users. Their presentation highlighted key issues, including divergent expectations of outcomes, the recognition of measurement tools, and ethical dilemmas in data collection. They discussed current practices and their limitations, contributing valuable insights into building trust and fostering effective communication among stakeholders in social service evaluation.

Prof. Jessica Jia LI examined the effectiveness of two 8-week mindfulness interventions—online instructor-guided mindfulness (IGM) and self-guided mindfulness (SGM)—in improving psychological well-being among social workers in Shanghai during the 2022 COVID-19 pandemic. The interventions showed significant improvements in spiritual well-being, with the IGM group reporting greater reductions in burnout and negative emotions, as well as enhanced life satisfaction. These outcomes highlight the effectiveness of instructor-guided mindfulness in supporting social workers during crises.

Participants expressed their heartfelt appreciation to the conference organizers. The conference fostered rich discussions on innovative evaluation designs and practical lessons, paving the way for a sustainable MEL culture in the NGO sector.

Keynote Speaker: Prof. Cinzia CANALI

Keynote Speaker: Prof. Steven NGAI

Group photos of the plenary speakers

A group photo of participants