​​​​Ann-Murray Brown

You know this feeling:

You're staring at a Theory of Change or indicator framework thinking, "Is this defensible?"

You've spent weeks circling the same question without landing on an answer.

You're not stuck because you lack knowledge.

You're stuck because you can't yet justify a clear call.

And meanwhile: the donor report deadline is approaching. Your credibility is on the line. The wrong choice could cost you time, funding, or trust.

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What if you could get a documented expert position in 2 weeks instead of 2 months?

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What this offer actually is

MEL Expert Opinion is a written professional assessment of one specific MEL question, delivered in 2 weeks.

You receive a 3-5 page Expert Opinion Memo that:

• Analyses your MEL question with 20+ years of professional expertise

• Provides a clear, defensible recommendation

• Documents the reasoning and evidence supporting the position

• Gives you language to present the position to stakeholders

Plus: A 90-minute consultation to walk through the opinion and address your questions.

Plus: Recording of the consultation for your records.

This is not advice. It's documented professional judgment you can use.

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What You Use This For

The Expert Opinion Memo is a professional artifact with ongoing utility:

✓ Present to management, boards, or donors as credible third-party validation

✓ Document your decision-making rationale for accountability and due diligence

✓ End internal team debates with external expert perspective

✓ Reduce professional risk by showing you sought expert guidance before committing to an approach

✓ Reference for similar future decisions when comparable questions arise

The memo doesn't just help you decide, it gives you positional authority when presenting your decision to others.

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This service is offered in limited intake windows. February 2026 intake is almost filled.

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Who This Is For​

Professionals who need:

• Third-party validation for a consequential MEL choice

• Documentation to present to boards, donors, or leadership

• Expert perspective to settle internal debates

• Risk mitigation through documented due diligence

 

This is for professionals who:

• Understand MEL fundamentals but need expert judgment on a specific technical question

• Are responsible for MEL decisions with real consequences

• Need an answer within 2-3 weeks (not 6 months)

• Have a bounded, specific question (not "fix everything")

• Experience matters here. You know the concepts; you need certainty on the call.

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What Questions Qualify

Questions that:

• Are focused on one technical MEL choice

• For which the answer materially affects your work

• Need answering within 2-3 weeks

• Can be addressed with available documentation

 

Examples of Qualifying Questions:

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"Do we need a full evaluation, or is a learning review sufficient?"

You're under pressure to commission an evaluation, but the programme is still evolving and the data isn't ready. You need to know whether an evaluation would actually add value, or just create noise.

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"Should we measure behavior change at individual or household level?"

An indicator looks measurable on paper, but you know implementation across partners will be inconsistent. You need to decide whether to accept it, adapt it, or push back before it becomes embedded.

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"Is our Theory of Change strong enough to report against?"

Your ToC exists, but it was built quickly and has never been properly tested. You need to know whether it's defensible as a reporting tool or whether it needs reworking before the next reporting cycle.

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"Is this framework fit for purpose, or does it expose us to risk?"

You've inherited a MEL framework that "works," but you're not confident it would stand up to external scrutiny. You need to decide whether to proceed with it or intervene now.

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"Should we adopt outcome harvesting or stick with traditional evaluation?"

You're designing an evaluation approach and the team is split on methodology. You need expert judgment on which approach is defensible given your context, timeline, and resources.

 

What This Is NOT For

This is not suitable for:

✗ "Help me build a MEL system from scratch". That's the Clarity-to-Impact® Programme

✗ "Review my entire framework and tell me what to fix". This is too broad with no specific question

✗ "Train me on how to design indicators". That's education, not expert opinion

✗ "Support us over several months as we implement changes". That's consultancy

If your need is system-building, capacity development, or ongoing support, this isn't the right service.

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Here's How It Works​

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Step 1: Application (You)

Complete a brief application form where you:

• State your MEL question (singular and specific)

• Explain why it matters right now

• Describe what documentation you have

I review to confirm this is answerable within the scope. If it's not a fit, I'll tell you why and what you might need instead.

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Step 2: Payment & Document Submission (Days 1-3)

Once accepted, you pay and submit:

• The primary document (ToC, framework, evaluation design, whatever is central to your question)

• Up to 2 supporting documents if needed

• Maximum 15 pages total​

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Step 3: Expert Analysis (Days 4-7)

I analyse your materials using 20+ years of experience in MEL design, evaluation, and donor reporting requirements. You're not paying for my time. You're paying for pattern recognition and professional judgment applied to your specific question.

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Step 4: Consultation Session (Day 8 - 90 minutes)

We meet via Zoom to:

• Walk through my analysis of your question

• Discuss my recommendation and the reasoning

• Address your questions about implementation or presentation

• Clarify anything in the draft opinion

This is recorded for your records.

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Step 5: Final Expert Opinion Memo (Days 9-12)

You receive the final 3-5 page Expert Opinion Memo including:

1. Executive Summary

• Your MEL question

• My recommendation in 2-3 sentences

• Key reason for the position

2. Context & Analysis

• Summary of your situation

• Why this question matters

• Technical assessment of the options

• Evidence and reasoning considered

3. Professional Recommendation

• My clear position on the question

• Specific guidance on implementation

• Risks or considerations to be aware of

4. Stakeholder Communication

• How to present this to management/donors

• Common objections and how to address them

• What evidence strengthens the position

Most engagements complete within 2 weeks of payment.

The engagement ends when you receive the memo. No follow-ups, no implementation support, no scope expansion.

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​The offer is a fixed-scope engagement and does not include implementation, document editing, ongoing support, or bespoke consultancy beyond the stated deliverable.

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Investment & Deliverables

Investment: €999

Timeline: 2 weeks from payment to final deliverable

 

What You Receive:

• 3-5 page Expert Opinion Memo (documented professional judgment)

• 90-minute consultation session via Zoom

• Recording of the consultation

 

What's NOT Included:

• Implementation support

• Document editing or revisions beyond the memo

• Ongoing advice or follow-up sessions

• MEL system design or capacity building

This is a fixed-scope engagement. The deliverables are clearly bounded

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Who Am I

I’m Ann-Murray Brown, an independent Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) consultant with over 20 years of experience working with international organisations, donors, and NGOs.

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A few of my clients are UNDP, UNICEF, WFP, UNOY, FMO (the Dutch development bank), the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Panaroma Foundation and other UN-affiliated and donor-funded programmes. My work has included reviewing and strengthening MEL frameworks, Theory of Change logic, indicators, and evaluation approaches in high-stakes, multi-country contexts.

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I’ve also contributed to and reviewed evaluation and results-based management guidance used within UN systems, including reviewing the  UNDP evaluation policy  and RBM-related frameworks that practitioners regularly rely on. If you work with UN or donor documentation, there’s a good chance you’ve encountered thinking I’ve helped shape or stress-test.

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More than 50 MEL professionals have gone through my Clarity-to-Impact® programme, which focuses on building coherent MEL systems over six months.

 

​The MEL Expert Opinion is for a different moment: when you don't need a full system overhaul, but  a clear, defensible position on one consequential question before it locks in.

 

What People Say

Here's what previous clients experienced:

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“I had been stuck on a reporting decision for weeks. Everyone had an opinion, but no one was willing to say what was actually defensible. The decision memo gave me three clear options with trade-offs spelled out. I walked into the board meeting with a position I could defend. That alone was worth it.”

— Senior MEL Manager, INGO

 

“What I appreciated most was that this wasn't about fixing everything. We were trying to decide whether to measure behavior change at individual or household level. The analysis showed why household-level would create false positives in our context. We avoided locking ourselves into an indicator that would have spelled disaster for us.”
— Monitoring & Learning Lead, Regional Programme​

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“This probably saved me several weeks of back-and-forth. I was circling between three ToC structures and couldn't articulate why one was better than another. The session forced the logic into view in 90 minutes. More importantly, it stopped me from second-guessing myself once the decision was made.”
— Evaluation Advisor, Donor-Funded Programme

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Frequently Asked Questions​

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"Is this consultancy or ongoing support?"

No. This is a one-off, time-bound engagement focused on answering one specific MEL question.

There is no implementation support, follow-up work, or ongoing advice included beyond the stated deliverables.

The engagement ends when you receive the Expert Opinion Memo.

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"Can I get multiple questions answered?"

Each engagement addresses one MEL question.

If you have multiple questions, you can book multiple Expert Opinions. I'll help you prioritise which to address first based on urgency and stakes.

Some clients address one urgent question now, then return later when new challenges arise.​

 

"Can you review my entire MEL framework or system?"

No. I review only the documents (maximum 15 pages total) that are directly relevant to the specific question you submit.

This is not a system audit, comprehensive review, or redesign. It's focused expert judgment on one bounded question.

If you need system-level review or redesign, that's a different type of engagement.

 

"What makes this an 'expert opinion' rather than just advice?"

An expert opinion is documented professional judgment based on explicit analysis, not casual guidance.

The memo:

• States the question clearly and systematically

• Analyses evidence and alternatives with explicit reasoning

• Provides a defensible recommendation you can present to others

• Can be shared with third parties as credible documentation

This is the MEL equivalent of a legal opinion letter or medical second opinion, a professional service with a documented deliverable, not informal consultation.

You can present it to boards, donors, or teams as third-party validation. You can reference it if your decision is later questioned. You can't do that with casual advice.

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"What's at stake?"

When a MEL decision lands on your desk, it’s your name attached to it.

The indicator framework. The evaluation design. The ToC logic.
Six months later, if it doesn't hold up to scrutiny, if the data is unusable, if the donor pushes back, if the team can't implement it..

that lands on you.

This package exists to make sure one critical decision is defensible before it becomes permanent.

Not to fix everything. Just to get one consequential choice right.​

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"Is this suitable for early-career MEL professionals?"

This service is best suited to professionals who are already responsible for MEL decisions and understand the technical fundamentals.

If you're still building foundational MEL knowledge, this may not be the right fit. You might benefit more from the Clarity-to-Impact® Programme, which builds comprehensive MEL capability over six months.

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"What happens after the decision memo is delivered?"

The engagement ends.

If you later want support with implementation or system-level work, that would be a separate engagement (either another Expert Opinion on a new question, or the Clarity-to-Impact® Programme for comprehensive system-building).

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"What if I realise I need more than just one question answered?"

If during our work together it becomes clear you need system-level support rather than a single decision, I'll tell you honestly.

This package is designed for focused, bounded decisions. If you need to build a MEL system from scratch or overhaul your entire approach, that's what the Clarity-to-Impact® Programme is for.

I won't try to force a question-level engagement when you actually need system-level work. That doesn't serve either of us.

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What Happens Next

Step 1: Click the button below to complete the application form.

Step 2: If selected, you will recieve instructions on how to pay. If you are not selected, I will tell you why 

Step 3: Once payment is received, you submit your documents (max 15 pages total). 

Step 4: We'll schedule the 90-minute Zoom session at a time that works for you.

Step 5:  After our session you will receive Your Expert Opinion Memo

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