The verdict in three sentences
An NGO headquartered in London or Geneva managing 14 projects funded by 6 donors loses weeks every quarter consolidating spreadsheets in different formats. A custom donor extranet, with indicator entry per project and dashboards per donor, falls in Kolonell's medium application bracket, 4,000,000 to 7,000,000 FCFA (6,100 to 10,670 EUR), for a 3 to 5 month project and maintenance at 75,000 FCFA (114 EUR) a month. Hosting location, UK, Switzerland, the EU or the programme country, depends on each donor's contractual terms and on data protection law where beneficiaries live.
The problem: six donors, six formats, four times a year
Each donor has its own logframe, indicators, calendar and template. A government donor such as the FCDO or the Swiss development agency wants six-monthly narrative and financial reports, a private foundation wants quarterly indicators disaggregated by sex and age, a UN agency imposes its own portal. Field teams in country offices send figures by WhatsApp or email, and the MEL team at headquarters re-keys everything.
| Module | Function | Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Indicator library | Shared and donor-specific indicators, targets, frequency | One entry feeds several reports |
| Field data entry | Offline mobile forms per project and area, geotagged photos | Data arrives the same day |
| Validation | Project lead, MEL, management sign-off | Every figure has a named owner |
| Evidence files | Attendance sheets, invoices, activity reports, filed by activity | Easier audits, fewer follow-up requests |
| Donor dashboards | Secure access restricted to funded projects | Donors check progress without waiting |
| Report exports | Word and Excel templates in each donor's format | A quarterly report built in hours |
| Audit trail | Who changed what and when | A frequent institutional donor requirement |
Options and costs
| Option (2026 order of magnitude) | Cost | Limits |
|---|---|---|
| Excel and email | No licence, but 4 staff days per report | Version errors, no traceability |
| Free collection tools (KoboToolbox type) | Free or nearly | Great for collection, weak for multi-donor reporting |
| International MEL SaaS | GBP 250 to 1,200 or CHF 300 to 1,400 a month by users | Limited configuration, imposed hosting |
| Local agency build in London or Geneva | GBP 40,000 to 90,000 or CHF 60,000 to 150,000 | High day rates, long procurement |
| Kolonell custom extranet | 4,000,000 to 7,000,000 FCFA (6,100 to 10,670 EUR) | Needs serious indicator scoping |
| Kolonell Standard maintenance | 75,000 FCFA a month (114 EUR) | Major changes quoted on request |
On hosting, two sets of rules meet. UK GDPR and the revised Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection govern headquarters data, while programme countries have their own laws: in Senegal, law 2008-12 regulates transfers abroad and requires filings with the national data protection authority for beneficiary data. Some donors also require EU or UK hosting. The common answer: personal beneficiary data stays in-country or in an approved region, while aggregated, anonymised indicators are what donors see. Hosting is quoted on request once those constraints are known.
A 3 to 5 month timeline
Scoping indicators and the 6 donor formats: 3 to 4 weeks, the phase that decides everything else. Mock-ups validated by 2 project leads: 2 weeks. Indicator library, data entry and validation: 6 to 8 weeks. Dashboards and exports: 3 to 4 weeks. Pilot on 3 projects: 2 to 3 weeks. Training for field teams and donors: 1 week.
Mini case study
Claire, head of MEL at a Geneva-based health and education NGO, produces 56 reports a year (14 projects × 4 quarters). Each report takes 4 staff days of collection, chasing and consolidation, so 224 days a year. With the extranet, consolidation drops to 1.5 days per report: 84 days. The saving is 140 staff days a year.
At a loaded day cost of CHF 450 for a Geneva MEL officer, that is CHF 63,000 a year. The first year of the extranet costs, at the top of the bracket, 10,670 EUR to build plus 1,368 EUR of maintenance (114 EUR × 12). Against CHF 63,000 of staff time, the build is recovered within the first few months, before counting the cost of late reports, which can hold up a donor tranche for weeks. Part of the cost can often be charged to MEL budget lines in project grants, subject to donor approval.
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FAQ
Will donors use an extranet instead of receiving reports?
Most value read access to indicators, but the formal report is still required. The extranet produces it in the donor's format in hours instead of 4 days.
Can field teams with poor connectivity enter data?
Yes, forms work offline and sync when the network returns. In rural areas, over 90 % of entries arrive within the day.
What data protection filings are needed?
It depends on where beneficiaries live. In Senegal, filings with the data protection authority take 1 to 2 months and should start during scoping; at headquarters, a DPIA is good practice.
What does 75,000 FCFA a month of maintenance cover?
Fixes, security updates, backups and small changes such as adding an indicator. Adding a new donor with a full template is quoted on request.
Can we start with a few projects?
Yes. Starting with 3 to 5 projects and 2 donors validates the indicator library, then extends to all 14 projects over one or two quarters.
Let's scope your project. Send us your project list, your donors and one sample report per donor, and we will scope an extranet live in 3 to 5 months. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
