Setting SMART Goals That Attract Funding

Donors fund commitments, not aspirations. "Reduce youth unemployment" is an
aspiration. "Place 300 unemployed youth (at least 40% women) into formal jobs
within 18 months through a tourism-skills programme" is a commitment they can
finance, monitor, and evaluate. The difference is the SMART discipline.

THE FIVE CRITERIA

SPECIFIC — Name the exact change, the target group, and the location. Avoid
"improve," "support," "enhance." State precisely who does what for whom.

MEASURABLE — Attach a number and a baseline. "From 1,200 to 1,500 formal jobs"
is measurable; "more jobs" is not. If you cannot measure it, you cannot report
it, and an unreportable goal is unfundable.

ACHIEVABLE — Calibrate ambition to your institutional and fiscal capacity. A
target you will obviously miss damages your credibility for the next grant.
Stretch, but stay defensible.

RELEVANT — Tie the goal to your baseline evidence and to the donor's stated
priorities. A goal that does not map to a real, documented problem will be cut.

TIME-BOUND — Give it a deadline and interim milestones. "By Q4 2027, with 150
placements by Q2" lets a funder track progress and release tranches on schedule.

A GOOD TEST

Read your goal aloud and ask: could two independent evaluators, given the same
data, agree on whether it was achieved? If yes, it is SMART. If they would
argue, it is still a wish.

Strong LED plans stack three or four SMART goals under each strategic priority,
each linked to one or two indicators. That structure flows directly into a
logical framework and a results-based budget — which is exactly what turns a
plan into money.