Measuring Impact: Self Guided Course

Impact Measurement Supporting Communities 2021

What is Impact Measurement?

What is Impact?

• Impact is the broad or longer-term effects of a project or organisations work - also referred to as the difference it makes.

• This can include the effects that the work of your community group makes on the lives of individuals within your local community and on your community as a whole.

What is Impact Measurement?

• It’s the process of trying to find out what effect an activity or programme has on people / organisations, or their external physical, economic, political or social environment.

• It measures short term outcomes as well as broader and longer-term effects.

• These can be positive or negative, planned or unforeseen outcomes.

Why is Impact Measurement important?

Why is Impact Important?

• To learn what impact your project / programme has had • To know what work - learn & make improvements • Be accountable • Provide evidence of value for money • Detect unintended impacts • Make choices & set priorities • Influence policy & practice • Show your worth!

Who is impact important for?

YOUR ORGANISATION: Measuring the impact of your work allows your organisation to see what works, to identify where improvements can be made, and to learn from results when making decisions about the future.

FUNDERS, DONORS, THE PUBLIC: Impact measurement and the results produced can provide a powerful tool for communicating what your organisation does.

This transparency can help build trust and confidence with funders, doners and the public.

Who is impact important for?

BENEFICIARIES: Impact measurement can help beneficiaries understand the services, processes and outcomes you offer, and to see the real benefits that accompany them.

THE SECTOR: As impact measurement and reporting spreads, it allows different organisations to communicate more effectively and share results.

This can form the basis for greater understanding and for drawing together best practice across the sector.

When do we measure impact?

When do we measure impact?

• Deciding on what impact we want to have is the first and most important question to address when designing any programme / project.

• Measuring the impact of your organisation / work is an ongoing activity.

• Once you have identified the impact you want to have, then you must identify the Baseline Information.

Baseline Information • Baseline information is knowing where you are starting from.

• For many community projects / programmes if you don’t gather Baseline information before you start, you will never be able to show the true impact of the project.

• Baseline information can be Qualitative and/or Quantitative.

Impact Measurement Explained

INPUTS help us achieve OUTPUTS which in the short, medium and long term lead to OUTCOMES and we can then measure the level of IMPACT’

Example: New group / project formed for older people 1. INPUTS – the resources you use for the project / programme e.g.

- Money - Equipment - Advice - Borrowed - Expertise - Volunteering - Social Value Engine 2. OUTPUTS – the tangible results, what happened / what was produced e.g.

-

20 older people turned up to the open meeting A new club has been formed A new leaflet has been drafted The new club influenced charity policy

Example: New group / project formed for older people 3. OUTCOMES – What has changed as a result of what happened? (Qualitative and Quantitative evidence) -

Feel safer in community Better quality of life More older people joining the club Intergenerational understanding between young volunteers and older people

4. IMPACT – The amount of change e.g.

- ASB against older people in the area decreased by 15% - Mental Health and Wellbeing increase of 30%

The Theory of Change Diagram can help illustrate Impact Measurement: 5. Apple Pie – Impact (The Long Term Impact that your organisation/Project has)

3. Branches – Outputs (The things you CREATED through the work you do such as Projects, Programmes, newsletters etc)

1. Roots – Inputs (such as volunteer/staff time, money, other resources you put in)

4. Apples – Outcomes (The short and medium term outcomes from the things you do – what has changed?)

2. Trunk – Outputs (The things you DO such as events, meetings etc)

Additional resources to help measure impact

Social Value Engine • The Social Value Engine was created and developed by a partnership between Rose Regeneration and the East Riding of Yorkshire Council.

• It is a systemised and academically robust assessment of social value for you to forecast, plan and evaluate your activities.

• It includes a description of how a project creates value, and a ratio that states how much social value (in £/€) is created for every £/€ of investment.

• More than 500 peer-reviewed financial proxies derived from reliable sources.

Inspiring Impact Measuring up is a free impact practice selfassessment that enables you to understand your current impact practice better and identify where improvements can be made.

The self-assessment tool: • is best completed by one lead, with input from a range of others who have different perspectives on the project • can be carried out at any point in a project, to plan for future impact practice or to assess how your impact practice has been so far.

• Here’s the link for more information: https://www.inspiringimpact.org/self-assessments/

Contact Us: Supporting Communities 34-36 Henry Street Ballymena BT42 3AH Phone: Email:

028 2564 5676 info@supportingcommunities.org

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