The Theory of Change (ToC) has everything to do with… change. You know that change is needed in a particular setting or context. So what do you – and others – have to do to achieve this change? That is in essence what ToC is all about: it helps you identify the desired change and gives you a clear(er) insight in the various conditions that must be in place so that your activities will achieve (or contribute to) the change that you seek.
Theory of Change sees this change as something complex and dynamic, with many contributing, influencing or even opposing factors. A consequence of this is that change more often than not isn’t in the hands of a single organisation. However in practice the scope of many ToCs is limited to the organisation that formulates it (but more on that later).