Getting Started

This guide will walk you through your first experience with ImpactMojo — from your first visit to using the platform in a workshop or classroom. No technical background needed.


Your First Visit

  1. Open impactmojo.inarrow-up-right in any browser — Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge on your phone, tablet, or computer

  2. Explore the homepage. You'll see an overview of what's available: courses, games, labs, and resources. Scroll through to get a sense of the platform.

  3. Browse the course catalog. Click on "Courses" or "Catalog" to see all 48 courses — 9 flagship courses with deep, multi-module content, and 39 foundational courses on focused topics.

  4. Open any course and start reading. No login, no signup, no payment. The content is right there.

That's it. You're learning.


Creating an Account (Optional)

You don't need an account to access free content. But creating one — which is also free — gives you:

  • Progress tracking — the platform remembers where you left off in each course

  • Bookmarks — save courses, case studies, or papers you want to return to

  • Notes — jot down thoughts and reflections as you learn

  • Certificates — earn verifiable certificates when you complete courses (requires Practitioner tier)

  • Community access — join discussions with other development professionals

To create an account:

  1. Click Sign Up in the top navigation

  2. Enter your email address, or sign in with Google

  3. You'll receive a verification email — click the link to activate your account

  4. That's it. Your Explorer account is ready.


Choosing a Learning Track

ImpactMojo organizes content into 6 learning tracks. Choosing a track helps you find the courses and resources most relevant to your work:

Track
Best for

MEL & Research

M&E officers, researchers, evaluation consultants

Economics & Policy

Policy analysts, economists, programme designers

Gender & Equity

Gender specialists, WEE practitioners, inclusion officers

Governance & Society

Governance researchers, community development workers

Health & Wellbeing

Public health professionals, climate practitioners

Communication & Data

Communications officers, data analysts, advocacy teams

You're not locked into one track — browse freely across all of them. But if you're not sure where to start, pick the track closest to your current role.


Press Ctrl+K (or Cmd+K on Mac) anywhere on the platform to open the search bar. You can search across:

  • Course titles and content

  • Case studies

  • DevDiscourses papers and books

  • ImpactLex terms

  • Handouts

  • Blog posts

Search is the fastest way to find something specific. Looking for everything related to "randomized controlled trials"? Search for it and you'll find relevant courses, case studies, papers, and glossary terms all in one place.


Bookmarking and Note-Taking

Once you have an account, you can:

Bookmark resources

Click the bookmark icon on any course, case study, paper, or handout to save it. Access all your bookmarks from your profile page. This is especially useful when you're researching a topic and want to collect materials before diving in.

Take notes

While reading a course module, use the notes feature to capture your reflections, questions, or ideas for how to apply what you're learning. Your notes are private and tied to your account, so they'll be there when you come back.

Tip for educators: Encourage your students or trainees to use bookmarks to build their own reading lists, and notes to reflect on how the material connects to their fieldwork.


Setting Up a Learning Path

A learning path is a structured sequence of courses and resources designed around a goal — whether that's "become confident in M&E" or "prepare my team for a gender audit."

For yourself

  1. Browse the tracks and identify 3-5 courses that match your learning goal

  2. Start with a foundational course to build your base, then move to a flagship course for depth

  3. Pair courses with relevant labs — for example, take the Theory of Change course alongside the Theory of Change Builder lab

For your team

  1. Identify the skills your team needs (e.g., "Our team needs stronger data collection skills")

  2. Select a sequence of courses, starting with foundational and building to advanced

  3. Add relevant handouts as supplementary reading

  4. Schedule time for your team to work through the labs together

  5. Use the games as group activities during team meetings


Using ImpactMojo in a Workshop or Classroom

ImpactMojo is designed to be a teaching tool, not just a self-study platform. Here's how educators are using it:

Before the workshop

  • Assign 1-2 foundational course modules as pre-reading so participants arrive with shared vocabulary

  • Share relevant handouts for participants to review

  • Identify which lab or game you'll use during the session

During the workshop

  • Run a simulation game to kick off the day — it surfaces assumptions and gets people talking. Allow 20-30 minutes for play, then 15-20 minutes for debriefing

  • Walk through a lab together — project it on screen and build a theory of change, research question, or evaluation framework as a group exercise

  • Reference ImpactLex when participants ask "what does that term mean?" — have it open on a phone or tablet as a live glossary

  • Use case studies as discussion material — "Here's how a similar programme was evaluated in Bangladesh. What would you have done differently?"

After the workshop

  • Share links to follow-up courses for participants who want to go deeper

  • Point them to DevDiscourses for further reading on topics that came up

  • Encourage them to create accounts so they can continue learning and track their progress

Practical tips

  • The platform works on phones, so participants don't need laptops

  • Games and labs run in the browser — no installation or special software needed

  • If internet is unreliable at your venue, have participants load the materials beforehand (see "Accessing Content Offline" below)


Accessing Content Offline

ImpactMojo is built as a Progressive Web App (PWA), which means it can work without an internet connection — important if you're running a workshop in a rural area or your office has unreliable connectivity.

How to set it up

  1. Visit impactmojo.inarrow-up-right while you have internet access

  2. Your browser will automatically cache the core platform pages

  3. On your phone, you can add it to your home screen — tap the "Add to Home Screen" option in your browser menu. It will look and feel like a regular app.

  4. Courses, handouts, and ImpactLex will be available offline after you've loaded them once

What works offline

  • Courses you've previously visited

  • ImpactLex dictionary (once loaded)

  • Handouts you've opened

  • Core platform navigation

What needs internet

  • First-time loading of any content

  • Account features (login, progress tracking, bookmarks)

  • Games and labs (some may require initial loading)

  • Searching across the full platform

Workshop tip: If you know you'll be in a low-connectivity setting, open all the materials you plan to use the day before while you have good internet. They'll be cached and ready.


Understanding Membership Tiers

ImpactMojo is free to use, and the free tier is genuinely substantial. Here's what each level offers, explained in terms of what it means for your work:

Explorer (Free)

What you get: All 48 courses, 12 simulation games, 10 labs, 400+ handouts, ImpactLex, Dev Case Studies, DevDiscourses, Dataverse access, and the Telegram community channel.

Who it's for: Anyone who wants to learn. Students, curious professionals, or team members exploring new topics. There's no time limit and no content restrictions on the core library.

Practitioner (₹399/month or ₹3,990/year)

What you get: Everything in Explorer, plus: certificates for completed courses, PDF and PNG export from labs, the Advanced Theory of Change Lab, and full community access.

Who it's for: NGO staff and early-career professionals who want to document their learning with certificates, or who need to export their lab work as deliverables. If you're building a theory of change in the lab and need to put it in a report, this is the tier that lets you do that.

Professional (₹999/month or ₹9,990/year)

What you get: Everything in Practitioner, plus: advanced professional tools — Qual Lab Pro for qualitative analysis, VaniScribe AI for transcription, DevData Practice, DevEconomics Toolkit, Code Converter, Visualization Cookbook, and priority access to coaching.

Who it's for: Researchers, M&E specialists, and consultants who need professional-grade tools. If qualitative coding, data analysis, or economic modelling is part of your regular work, these tools will save you significant time.

Organization (₹1,499/user/month)

What you get: Everything in Professional, plus: team dashboards, bulk licensing, dedicated support, and custom training options.

Who it's for: NGOs, think tanks, and development agencies that want to invest in their team's skills systematically. The team dashboard lets you see learning progress across your organization, and custom training means the content can be tailored to your programme areas.

A note on affordability

  • Annual plans save you 2 months — pay for 10 months, get 12

  • Sliding scale pricing is available for coaching and workshops — if your organization has limited resources, reach out and we'll find a way to make it work

  • The free tier is not a teaser. It's a complete, useful learning platform. Premium exists for professionals who need additional tools for their work.


What's Next?

Now that you know how to navigate the platform, here are some good starting points:

  • If you're new to M&E: Start with the MEL for Development flagship course

  • If you want a quick skill: Try a foundational course — they're focused and can be completed in a few hours

  • If you're preparing a workshop: Browse the games and labs for interactive activities

  • If you need a specific resource: Press Ctrl+K and search for it

  • If you want to see everything: Read the Platform Overview for a detailed guide to every content type

For questions or feedback, visit the contact pagearrow-up-right or join the community on Telegram.

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