
It’s no secret that impact reporting is vital to the sustainability of charities, but doing it effectively can be challenging for a number of reasons. Here, we look into how to get funders’ attention and ensure your impact being shouted from the rooftops.
Impact reporting is, in its most simple form, the process of measuring your organisation’s impact. Good impact reporting, however, is about catching stakeholders’ attention, driving investment and showing exactly why that investment is so crucial. It can also be a helpful and insightful exercise for you and your team, providing an opportunity to reflect on your activities.
Here at Social Research Builders, we could happily talk about effective impact reporting all-day, every-day. We’re passionate about it because we know it enables charities to realise their missions and visions, but we also understand how challenging it can be. That being said, we believe there are four key factors that are fundamental to your organisation’s success when it comes to impact reporting:
Take a holistic approach
At Social Research Builders, we encourage all our clients to report on their impact in a holistic way that looks beyond outputs (numbers). The outcomes of the project itself, the impact of its beneficiaries, the organisations and the wider sector are equally (if not more) important to tell the full story of the project.
Be transparent
What’s gone wrong is just as important as what’s gone right. With scarce resources and competition for funding, the sector as a whole can benefit more from understanding lessons learned by other projects so that similar work can avoid any potentially costly (both in terms of money and time) mistakes being repeated.
Treat organisational buy-in as a priority
The effectiveness of impact reporting often relies on input from a variety of internal, and sometimes external, stakeholders. Securing early commitment to the evaluation process, especially in long term projects, will enable you to gather consistent data beyond the above-mentioned outputs and gain insight into the wider impact of the project.
Be adaptable
This is two-fold when it comes to reporting. Implementing effective data collection tools can sometimes be a little bit of a trial-and-error process, particularly when working with vulnerable or complex beneficiary groups. What works for some, may not work for others. Allowing yourself the time to carry out a pilot research projects and embracing the fact that some adaptations may need to be made can help to manage expectations and minimise frustrations. Adaptability also refers to the need to effectively respond to findings. If your project is long term or multiyear, you will likely produce interim reports. They’re a fantastic opportunity to reflect on the learning and implement any changes that will maximise your impact. Funders also love to see projects respond to evolving needs and listening to their community during delivery.
Write these three words down on a sticky note and put them in full view in your office: outputs, outcomes, impact. Often mistakenly used interchangeably, each one of those is a very distinct concept which describe change at different levels. The table below outlines the definitions of each and gives an example of what it might look like in practice.
Okay, we said three words but there’s one more that you should be thinking about: counterfactual. What would happen if the project didn’t exist? This is a little more complex as it calls for a control group not receiving intervention or support but can paint a stark picture of the consequences of your service not existing.
Being able to effectively tell the story of what your project has achieved will be at the core of your future funding proposals for continuation funding. We would challenge anyone to show us a funding application which doesn’t ask the question of “tell us the difference your organisation/ project makes…”
Saying we supported “x” individuals or provided “x” meals, in the current highly competitive fundraising landscape, is often considered to not be comprehensive enough.
Effectively articulating your impact takes time. Time which is often limited, particularly within small charities where available resources are understandably prioritised for direct service delivery. It also takes a certain amount of skill and experience to create appropriate collection tools. Those working in service delivery are also often too close to the research to remain fully objective and accurately report, and are looking at the data through the lense of passion for the project or the wider mission.
That’s where Social Research Builders steps in. We specialise in providing affordable project and program evaluation services and connecting small charities with passionate student researchers. This unique approach not only amplifies the impact of small charities, but also creates valuable opportunities for the next generation of changemakers.
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