Monitoring and evaluating transition and sustainability of donor-funded programs: Reflections on the Avahan experience

•More evaluations of donor transitions are needed to promote understanding of good transition practice;•Transition evaluations should document changes that emerge over time in the transition strategy;•Our measure of transition readiness was robust and captures key dimensions of transition;•More work is required to develop robust measures of institutionalization;•Phased transitions allow time for learning and feedback between transition rounds.•Transitions involve multiple partners, each are key stakeholders in the evaluation.