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We are all trying to make an impact. We want the people we serve, the issues we tackle and the communities we build to be better because of our efforts. You know your program or initiative is having a positive impact based on what you’re seeing and hearing, but can you prove it? During a recent meeting of the CMA’s Not-for-Profit Council we turned our minds to this question.
How can we measure impact, outcomes and social ROI? This can be particularly challenging if you are a not-for-profit or public service organization, where ROI can’t always be measured in economic terms, and outcomes are often shared or difficult to measure. Accountability frameworks and organizational approaches are useful for evaluating outcomes and impacts. They articulate value in various ways and allow us to tell stories that would otherwise be impossible to share.
Here are three areas that are important to think about when embarking on a mission to demonstrate impact and articulate value:
Involve everyone, and involve them early
Herman B. ‘Dutch’ Leonard, Professor, Harvard Business School
It’s key that everyone involved in whatever you are measuring – a new strategy or initiative, product or service – be involved in the development of the impact measurement plan. To be effective, this really can’t be something that sits solely with people tasked with evaluation at the finish line. From the program/initiative designers, to the facilitators and implementers, to the evaluators – everyone must understand the goals, be clear on what success looks like, and ensure the program is designed and delivered in such a way that success can be measured effectively.
Beyond Outputs: Strategies and Frameworks to Measure Outcomes and Impacts
We’re very good at measuring outputs – attendance at events, eyeballs on ads, service usage, followers on social media, even changes in customer behaviour. But understanding how those activities and outputs translate into outcomes and impacts – i.e. the difference that we’ve made or the value that we’ve delivered – is much harder. We know how many kids attended the literacy program, but do we know how it affected their confidence or reading scores? Did a physical activity intervention or social interaction improve the quality of life or even life expectancy of a senior?
The use of standard tools…
