Better Data, Better Decisions: Partnering with D-tree to Strengthen Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning
15 September 2025
By LSS Global and D-tree
At LSS Global, we work with mission-driven organizations that are ready to take their impact to the next level. So when D-tree approached us with a challenge, to unify their growing portfolio of health systems work under a cohesive Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning (MERL) framework, we knew this wasn’t about building a theoretical system. This was about helping an impact-driven organization live its tagline: Better decisions save lives.
Since 2004, D-tree has been designing and scaling innovations that make health systems more personalized, accessible, and coordinated. Their teams are embedded in-country, partnering closely with governments and communities to strengthen health systems and empower frontline health workers. But like many implementation-focused organizations, D-tree found themselves at a tipping point. Their programs were delivering. Their data was rich. The need to communicate impact was clear. But without a clear MERL strategy, they lacked the connective tissue to measure, learn from, and communicate their impact across countries, donors, and partners.
That’s where we came in.
Building a MERL Foundation That Reflects D-tree’s Ambition
D-tree wasn’t looking for a generic logframe. They were looking for a practical, values-aligned system that could grow with them, grounded in reality, but ambitious in scope. Together, we co-designed a MERL framework that was rooted in how their teams and programmes actually work day-to-day, while creating the structure needed to harmonize learning and decision-making across the organization.
We started by reflecting on D-tree’s theory of change, and how program activities contribute to long-term systems change and better health outcomes. This formed the strategic backbone for developing meaningful program indicators and aligning teams around a shared language of success.
Just as importantly, we worked with D-tree to develop an impact narrative: drawing from existing programmatic data and D-tree publications to create a compelling, data-driven story that communicates their vision and achievements to date in ways that resonate with donors, government partners, and internal teams alike.
From Strategy to Action: Operationalizing MERL
What sets LSS Global apart is not just our strategic thinking, it’s our ability to make strategies work in real-world contexts. For D-tree, that meant:
Building upon D-tree's Theory of Change to identify the pathway to impact and developing an impact narrative to reflect how the organization achieves impact in practice and support the organizational strategy
Conducting return on investment and cost-benefit analyses to understand the value of their programs
Co-designing a set of program indicators that enable D-tree to bring together data from across country programs to track strategic impact
Developing data collection tools and a dashboard to make insights accessible and actionable
Embedding a clear operational plan, outlining roles, timelines, and how learning loops feed directly into decision-making at every level, from CEO to country M&E staff
Now D-tree has a unified way to track and communicate impact across countries. Program teams can integrate their impact data, share insights, and make more agile, evidence-based decisions. And external engagement with donors and governments has grown stronger, backed by credible data and a clear narrative.
A Culture of Learning, Not Just Reporting
This MERL framework has helped D-tree embed learning as a core organizational function, not just a compliance exercise. By integrating MERL into the rhythm of their programming, they’ve reduced the burden of reporting and created space for reflection, adaptation, and innovation.
This was never about designing the most elegant framework on paper. It was about making it work in practice. Their teams were engaged at every level. And they were intentional from day one about aligning the work to their mission.
"At D-tree, we’ve always believed that better decisions save lives and have prioritized that in our programs to help people, health workers, and governments make better health decisions. Collaborating with LSS helped us apply that same principle to D-tree at the organizational level, turning that belief into an operational reality for how we run our programs. Our new MERL framework brings our teams together, grounds our decisions in evidence, and ensures learning is embedded in everything we do to enhance D-tree’s impact."
– Rachel Hofmann, Director of Program Excellence, D-tree
A Partnership for the Future
This collaboration is just the beginning. LSS Global will continue partnering with D-tree to operationalize the enhanced MERL framework and sustain and scale a culture of evidence-driven action across the organization. As D-tree’s organizational strategy advances, so too will the systems and tools that support their decision-making.
For other organizations navigating similar challenges, our experience with D-tree offers a clear takeaway: MERL doesn’t have to be overwhelming. But it does have to be intentional. It’s possible to build systems that reflect your values, elevate your impact, and support smarter decisions at every level.