Keep the same cohort when reporting a response rate
An outcome record needs a starting point, an eligible group and a defined observation window. This invented civic-service example separates requests submitted from responses documented. It is not a grant rule, a funded project or an evaluation of an actual institution.

1. Define the unit before collecting counts: one eligible request with a stable non-identifying reference. State what counts as a response and how long the observation window lasts. A click or automatic receipt is not a substantive response.
2. Take a baseline using the same definition. Record exclusions and unfinished cases, not just successes. Keep personal details outside a public worksheet and avoid publishing small groups that identify individuals.
3. At review, match the same cohort. Do not divide responses to older cases by new requests from the current week. Report the numerator, denominator and unresolved cases together.
4. Use the result to choose a next action, while retaining alternative explanations. A higher documented response rate does not by itself show that a civic tool caused a policy change or improved every participant’s experience.

Baseline — fictional: 20 eligible requests, 8 substantive responses within the defined window: 8/20 = 40%.
Later cohort — fictional: 20 different eligible requests, 12 responses under the same rule: 12/20 = 60%. The remaining 8 are unresolved at review.
Comparison: Difference: 20 percentage points, not a 20% relative increase. Relative change is (60−40)/40 = 50%, if that comparison is justified.
Limits: Different case mix, staff availability or reporting practice could explain the difference. No causal result has been established.
Working record: Unit __; eligibility __; cohort/window __; baseline __; response rule __; numerator/denominator __; unresolved __; alternative explanation __; next decision __.

Baseline — fictional: ____________________
Later cohort — fictional: ____________________
Comparison: ____________________
Limits: ____________________
Working record: ____________________
Agenda 2063 supplies public-governance context, not a rule for this exercise. Check the exact conditions of any real funding call separately; no open application window is asserted here.

African Union — Agenda 2063 — https://au.int/en/agenda2063/overview