You’re Great at M&E. So Why Is Your Career or Consultancy Not Going to The Next Level?

I’ve lost count of how many Monitoring and Evaluation professionals I’ve met who are quietly frustrated.

They’ve done the work. Years in the field, countless frameworks, evaluations, reports, logframes, theories of change (and let’s not even talk about indicator matrices).They’re sharp. Thoughtful. Technically brilliant.

And still… their inbox is quiet.

No unexpected invitations. No calls from donors. No offers to lead something bold and exciting.

They’re the best-kept secret in the room. And frankly? They’re tired of it.

I know that feeling, because I lived it.

When I moved to Europe, I had no network. No insider access. Little command of the Dutch language. No mentor texting me job leads. Just me, my laptop, and a name that nobody knew...yet.

So I did what most technically trained professionals do. I focused on being good. Exceptionally good. The kind of good that updates documents no one reads, stays late to clean up indicators, and still somehow gets left out of the final webinar panel.

But here’s what I learned the hard way:

Being brilliant isn’t enough if no one can see you.

You can have the sharpest insights in the sector, but if they live in shared drives and dusty PDFs, they’re not helping you, or anyone else.

The Real Problem Isn’t a Skills Gap. It’s a Visibility Gap.

We’re conditioned to believe that “doing good work” is the thing that gets you ahead.

It’s not.

What moves your career forward—what attracts aligned clients, roles, and invitations—is not just how well you work... but how clearly your value is perceived.

Let me say that again: how clearly your value is perceived.

And this is where most M&E professionals hit a wall.They think being visible means being loud. Or salesy. Or turning into a social media machine.

But visibility, when done right, is none of those things. It’s not about dancing for attention. It’s about being findable, memorable, and trusted.

So what does visibility actually look like in our sector?

It looks like someone reading your LinkedIn headline and understanding what you actually do, without reaching for the jargon decoder ring. Here's a tip, rewrite your LinkedIn headline to show your “so what”

Your headline isn’t your job title. It’s your value in a sentence.

Instead of "Monitoring and Evaluation Consultant | Technical Advisor | Data Enthusiast"

Try instead: "I help NGOs track real impact, not just activities, through practical MEL systems.

It tells me what you do, for whom, and what they get from it. Now you will have to keep some key words in there for SEO search.

Visibility also looks like sharing a 3-line reflection on something you learned during a project—not a treatise, not a dissertation, just a small, resonant lesson.

Think of a moment from a recent project that surprised you, challenged you, or changed how you work. Write 4–5 lines about it. No theory. Just the moment, the insight, and the lesson.

For example post something like:

“I once asked a community member how they knew the programme worked.They didn’t mention indicators. They pointed to the fact that their daughter now walks home safely.That’s when I realised our MEL framework was missing a key outcome: dignity.”

This kind of post shows your thinking and builds trust fast.

Visibility also looks like showing up consistently, not constantly. Once a week is not enough.

Last year a lady a woman once approached me at a conference. She was so excited to see me on stage and asked how I was selected. I told her the truth: “They found me through my LinkedIn posts.”

Still excited she asked, 'How can I be as visible as you on LinkedIn?" I replied with 'do post 3-4 times a day". Her face fell. “I don’t have time to post that often,” she said. And yet, she wanted the visibility, the invitations, the credibility.

We all do.

But there comes a point where we have to ask, Are we willing to build the habits that bring those opportunities to us? Or are we going to keep waiting for someone to notice?

No One Teaches Us This

Our sector trains us in rigour, neutrality, frameworks.It doesn’t train us in reputation. In positioning. In presence. But I believe this is the next skillset we need especially for those of us who are no longer junior, who’ve already put in the years, and are wondering why we’re still waiting. You’re not missing a degree.You’re missing a presence.

That’s Why I Created My Coaching Program

It’s not for beginners. It’s not about getting likes.

It’s for professionals, like you, who are good at what they do, but want their work to attract the right opportunities, instead of constantly chasing them.

Over 90 days, I walk you through how to:

• Clarify your positioning

• Show up in ways that reflect your values and intelligence

• Build trust and presence online

• Create a visibility ecosystem that draws aligned work to you

It’s personal. It’s strategic.

If that speaks to where you are in your career or professional journey right now, you can apply at the link below. I am only taking 5-8 persons in my coaching group.

👉 https://www.annmurraybrown.com/coaching