The Dioptra Consortium
The Dioptra Tool is distributed and managed by a Consortium. The Dioptra Consortium is a coalition of aid organizations committed to generating and using cost evidence to reach more people in need with more impact per dollar spent. The consortium currently consists of Accion Contra el Hambre, CARE, Catholic Relief Services, Danish Refugee Council, International Rescue Committee, Mercy Corps, Norwegian Refugee Council, and Save the Children.
The Dioptra Consortium operates through defined roles: Board Members set strategic direction and promote value-for-money learning; Focal Points manage coordination, analyses, and capacity building. Members of the Consortium work together to identify and prioritize new features for the software, share training materials/resources and further cost analysis efforts. Its governance includes a Consortium Board of senior leaders who meet quarterly to guide strategy and learning priorities. Data and intellectual property is protected by a yearly Data Sharing Agreement. The International Rescue Committee is the custodian of the software’s intellectual property.
joining the consortium & installing dioptra
New organizations can begin using Dioptra by joining the Consortium and installing the tool with their organizations – options for hosting, authentication, and data connection are available here. Once Dioptra is installed, you can conduct as many analyses as you want, typically in two hours or less.
Licenses are renewed annually, and can be cancelled at will
The Consortium asks around $10,000 to cover the annual costs of hosting; waivers may be available for smaller, national organizations
Installing Dioptra typically requires 5 weeks of FTE work from IT and Finance staff, supported by 135 hours from the Dioptra Advisor
Following installation, each organization receives 15 hours of support per month from the Dioptra Advisor