Making an impact: making impact measurement work for you

Chris Dayson, Sarah Pearson and Peter Wells

15 November 2012

Overview of the Event

10.00-11.15 Opening Plenary

Presentations

Questions and Answers

11.15-11.30 Refreshments

11.30-12.15 Workshop Groups

12.15-12.30 Feedback

12.30-12.45 Closing Debate

12.45-14.00 Lunch

Why are we here?

Improve our evidence of impact

To gain further experience in measuring impact and sharing best practice

We are therefore looking for ideas and

advantages/disadvantages of different approaches

I am new to this area of

work

We would like to complete a SROI

report

PRACTICAL ways in which small orgs can measure the

IMPACTS (rather than outputs) of their activities

what evidence funders require

We need to prove our

impact, but do not have the processes in

place to capture the required

info.

Learning about different approaches and

techniques

Why are we here?

to communicate the value of our

work we doHow we can better measure the impact of

small grants

what evidence funders require

To support client organisations in developing an approach to designing

services for social impact and measuring outcomes

Our services are going out to

tender and we want to be able

to measure impact.

Managing funds, reporting to funders, and communication

Who is here today

• Frontline charities and community organisations• Funding advisers and infrastructure/support

organisations• Charity Funders/Foundations• Local authorities• Evaluators and measurers of impact• Private companies• University funding advisers

Why the current focus on outcomes and impact?

• Policy developments– Social Value Act– Payment by Results and Social Investment – Public Expenditure cuts– National wellbeing

• Voluntary and community sector– Responsibility for demonstrating change shifting to the sector– Evidencing the strengths of the sector: reach, innovation,

voluntary action, change

• New measurement frameworks– Social return on investment– Outcomes stars– New indicator sets– A more widely understood field?

Where to start?

• "Measuring outcomes and impact in the voluntary and community sector"– 2,420,000 Google results

• Some useful starting points:– NAVCA Social Value Briefings:

www.navca.org.uk/socialvaluebriefings – Inspiring Impact List of Measurement Tools:

http://inspiringimpact.org/resources/ – Charities Evaluation Services First Steps report: http://

www.ces-vol.org.uk/Publications-Research/publications-free-downloads/first-steps-monitoring-evaluation

– SROI Network: the Guide: www.thesroinetwork.org/sroi-analysis/the-sroi-guide

– Outcomes stars: www.outcomesstar.org.uk/

First principles in measuring outcomes and impact

Key considerations

1. Starting point: describe the change your organisation has: on service users and other stakeholders (e.g. funders, employees)

2. Can quantitative or qualitative methods be used?

3. What evidence do you collect and could you collect?

4. How can the change be attributed?

5. How might outcomes and impact be communicated?

Workshops

• Thank you for voting• Three workshops identified:

Group 1: First steps in impact measurement: getting started. Led by Peter WellsGroup 2: Navigating tools, methods and frameworks for impact measurement. Led by Chris DaysonGroup 3: Commissioning and funding for social value. Led by Sarah Pearson

• Measuring impact in service delivery areas will be picked up

• Key questions for each group– What are the key challenges?– What examples of there of success and good practice?– What further support is needed?– What cannot be measured and why?

Making an impact: making impact measurement work for you

Chris Dayson, Sarah Pearson and Peter Wells

15 November 2012