During a courtesy visit with one of South Africa’s Government of National Unity Cabinet ministers, Vodacom executives found themselves discussing a paradox: Why, despite the billions that government, donor organisations, companies and nonprofits are pouring into skills development, does the nation still face acute unemployment? The suggested answer – insufficient impact measurement – had already catalysed Vodacom Foundation to deliberately embed monitoring and evaluation (M&E) into its corporate social investment (CSI) portfolio.
Nine years ago, the Vodacom Foundation recognised that its R120-million annual CSI budget was scattered across many projects and development objectives, making it hard to demonstrate meaningful social impact. Working with Trialogue through a strategic review process, the foundation refined its activities into two core pillars: education and gender empowerment. By aligning its programmes with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the foundation established the basis for more rigorous measurement linked to global goals.
“We wanted to move beyond just reporting on numbers and outputs and start seeing tangible impact,” explains Vodacom principal M&E specialist Sandy Dlakude. Despite M&E not traditionally being the purview of companies, the foundation established a dedicated M&E function to measure the impact of its CSI efforts on both beneficiaries and the broader society it serves.
The shift reflected broader market pressures. Speaking at the Trialogue Business in Society Conference in May 2025, Vodacom Foundation chair Takalani Netshitenzhe, noted that today’s investors and employees, particularly Millennials and Gen Zs, have an expectation of corporate accountability beyond profit. “They don’t want to invest in or be associated with corporates that don’t contribute to environmental programmes, sustainability, or social upliftment,” she observed. Demonstrating measurable social returns has become essential for a JSE-listed company committed to community development.
Revealing and resolving strategic gaps
In 2021, the foundation appointed a consultant to map existing programmes and redefine theories of change for the various programmes. Dlakude says that exercise proved invaluable, revealing the strategic gaps in the foundation’s work.
For example, it revealed the fragmentation in Vodacom’s work in the education ecosystem. While the foundation supported early childhood development (ECD) and Schools of Excellence by providing information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure, it lacked visibility into learners’ progression through this impact chain, making it difficult to trace the longer-term impact of its interventions. In an effort to ensure sustained long-term impact, the foundation will need to adopt a number of interventions to track learners beyond the school level.
Dlakude says this might involve “ensuring that those who complete matric can access a Vodacom bursary to study towards [Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics] STEM qualifications, with the successful ones possibly being absorbed into Vodacom’s talent pipeline, thus maximising the value of our social investment in a learner, while gearing us to measure the economic impact of our education ecosystem programmes.”
“Running a social development programme without a theory of change is like a pilot flying a plane without a flight plan or compass.”
Sandy Dlakude
Building trust in M&E
Implementing M&E on existing programmes was challenging. Dlakude says that, besides the challenge of working backwards to redefine a theory of change and M&E measures for programmes already in progress, securing stakeholder buy-in was critical to establishing the foundation’s M&E system.
Gaining stakeholder trust required dispelling fears and misconceptions about M&E, as some saw it as an auditing or investigative exercise. Dlakude says the team tackled this by demystifying M&E through an educative approach that emphasises the purpose and value of M&E.
Transparency proved essential. Vodacom Foundation education specialist Vince Montjane explains, “We were open and transparent about the processes that would unfold. It wasn’t about a policing strategy, but a way of helping our partners improve the standard of service we are providing to beneficiaries.” He notes that providing feedback to partners proved critical as it reinforced their sense of being part of the process rather than subjects of scrutiny.
Dlakude believes that the foundation’s focus on the M&E process has strengthened many of its partnerships, such as those with the Department of Basic Education and supported nonprofit organisations. “They have confidence in the process and in knowing that M&E activities and the evaluations we conduct are about ensuring and maximising social impact in the work we do.”
She adds that leadership and internal buy-in to the process have been growing steadily. Initial assumptions that M&E meant auditing or the provision of partner reports have evolved, with executives beginning to express interest in M&E for company-wide CSI programmes, beyond those implemented through the foundation, after seeing the foundation’s results.
What the data shows
Evaluations across Vodacom programmes have produced actionable insights. Among these are the following:
Bursary Programme: Vodacom has awarded 1 160 bursaries since 2014/15. The first comprehensive impact study revealed that 67% of respondents were employed, with 110 placed in Vodacom’s graduate programme since 2016, and some progressing into full-time employment with Vodacom. However, M&E also identified gaps indicated by students. Students expressed a need for psychosocial support, mentorship and vacation work opportunities, issues the programme could now address.
Youth Development Programme: This initiative places graduates from the Youth Academy as ICT coordinators in Vodacom Schools of Excellence, ECDs and supported nonprofit organisations.
ICT Coordinators Programme: Of the interns trained through this initiative, 37% transitioned from unemployment to employment, though mostly in contract roles. However, 50% remained unemployed, unable to apply their knowledge effectively. The lack of employment opportunities highlighted constraints beyond Vodacom’s control.
Youth Academy: Since 2013/14, the programme has trained 1 900 young people in ICT skills. Evaluation found that, while the majority were in formal employment or self-employed, 45% were still unemployed. The findings underscored the need for multistakeholder collaboration to address youth unemployment.
Female Farmer Programme: M&E identified gaps and barriers in the ecosystem, not unique to those experienced by smallholder farmers. This revealed a need for interventions to ensure small-scale farmers have access to economic opportunities. The foundation is now developing a digital platform to support its farmer ICT education programme, which will help farmers access markets and information.
Data defines the future
As Vodacom reviews its CSI strategy for the next five years, M&E findings and recommendations from evaluation reports will inform refinements and better mapping to the programme’s theory of change to ensure maximum impact.
For companies starting their M&E journey, Dlakude advocates for a patient planning phase over undue haste. “It’s tempting to allocate funds to a programme and want to run with it,” Dlakude cautions, “but proper consultation and formative evaluations will ensure that programme resources achieve the best possible impact.”
She says that organisations must be willing to ask uncomfortable questions. “M&E really gives us an opportunity to reflect on whether we have been doing things in a way that delivers real impact,” says Dlakude. “Those are questions people are scared to ask because they require honest reflection. It’s better to discontinue a programme that isn’t delivering meaningful impact than to continue it out of complacency. It’s far more important to ensure our resources support initiatives that create real, measurable impact.”
As Netshitenzhe concluded at the conference: “Inequality is not sustainable. Only monitoring, evaluation and impact measurement can assist us deal with the inequality in our country.”
