One of the most common statements among promoters of innovation, entrepreneurship and social intervention projects is: “the beneficiaries of our project are everyone, it is society in general.” In fact, there are projects that have the capacity to transform society in such a way that they may truly have an impact at the level of the general population, but the design and writing of each project/application does not recommend making such a statement.

Designing an evaluation plan with concrete targets
One of the questions raised in any application is who the target population of a given project/initiative will be, that is, its direct beneficiaries. Answering this question does not prevent the promoter from identifying and recognizing that their action may impact more than one group of people, benefiting larger groups and/or specific communities. However, to increase the chances of success of each application, designing an evaluation plan based on concrete objectives and targets, outlining activities and allowing others to assess the proposal (application) without major doubts, it is essential to clearly define from the outset the “target population” of the project, that is, its “direct beneficiaries.”

Direct beneficiaries vs. indirect beneficiaries
Thus, “target audience,” “direct beneficiaries” or “target groups” refers to all individuals, groups or organizations on which the project will have a direct social impact, in line with the objectives initially defined. “Indirect beneficiaries,” on the other hand, refers to all people, groups, organizations or communities that also benefit from a given project, but indirectly, as a consequence of a particular action.

Identifying concepts clearly and rigorously
To better illustrate this difference, let us consider a social intervention project aimed at combating school failure among children and young people aged between 15 and 17. As the project description indicates, the “direct beneficiaries” or “target audience” are the children and young people aged 15 to 17, since the objective is to intervene in this specific group of students, promoting their success in the school environment. Naturally, a student’s academic success depends on many factors and dimensions, including the level of involvement and empowerment of their respective guardians. In this sense, the parents of these students (the guardians of the “direct beneficiaries”) may be considered “indirect beneficiaries” of the project, as they will benefit not only from improvements in their children’s academic performance but also potentially from other activities promoted by the project aimed at empowering guardians to support educational success.

In a way, it is possible to assume that everyone will benefit from the initiative in question, but conceptually these are two completely distinct concepts that, especially in the context of an application, must be identified and explained very clearly and rigorously.

Andreia Arenga
05.05.2022

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