| How do I know how to measure impact? | Ask yourself: what is the main goal of your organization? To start, focus on one key impact measure that will signal if you are getting closer to that goal. |
When it comes to measuring impact, more is not better. Impact measurement isn’t meant to capture the results of every single thing your organization does; it’s meant to help you achieve your goal.
Too many experts and tools focus on collecting a wide variety of impact measures. What should be simple and intuitive becomes complex and technical.
If you’ve been putting off impact measurement because it looks complicated and time consuming, here’s a different approach.
For most organizations, one impact measure is powerful enough to monitor progress and keep your team on the same page.
Instead of assessing all the possible effects of your work, start with the most important thing. Pick something that reflects your goal.
Every organization has a reason for existing, whether you call it your organization’s goal, mission, purpose, or charter. The fact is, your organization was created to solve a problem or serve a community. Your programs and activities are the way your organization tries to achieve that goal. Between your mission and your activities, there’s a logic and an intention. Find it.
An impact measure (also known as a “metric” or “indicator”) describes the result of the programs and activities you run in order to achieve your goal. This measure signals whether you have achieved your goal, or if you’re moving closer towards it.
Your key impact measure is the one that is paramount, the one most closely connected to your organization’s main goal.
For example: An organization that raises awareness about illegal dumping may use behaviour change to measure impact. A policy organization might track legal reforms. A political organization could count how many candidates incorporate civil rights commitments into their platforms.
Your impact measurement doesn’t have to be fancy, and it doesn’t have to be complicated — it just needs to orient you to your goal.
A key impact measure is a leader’s greatest tool.
Without it, you may have different team members or departments chasing different goals; when that happens, suddenly you are managing multiple organizations at the same time.
Without it, budgeting means juggling competing ideas about how to prioritize spending money or allocate fundraising time.
When you have one key impact measure, everything changes.
It’s easier to tell new people why your organization’s work matters. It’s easier to tell stories about the value of your work. Motivating and supporting your team feels authentic and compelling.
A clear, simple impact measurement brings your strategy to life. It helps you focus on work that makes the biggest difference, and it makes it easier to sidestep distractions.
When your resources are limited or the stakes are high, it can be hard to know where to focus. When you know what impact you’re pursing, choices become easier. You know how to design the programs, hire the team, and spend money in ways that have an impact.
Social impact work can be lonely sometimes, especially in small organizations. The fundraiser, communications person, policy person, or operations manager might be the only ones with their specific skillset on a team. They can feel like they are working alone or their contributions aren’t understood.
When you take the time to connect each role to the one key impact measure, you show how your group of people fit together as a team. It becomes clear how each person’s success helps the others.
It’s not enough to pick a metric when you update your annual plan and then forget about it. To really take root in your organization’s culture, you need to reinforce the priority at every opportunity.
Every board meeting, every staff meeting, every strategic discussion should begin with an update on the key metric. Every internal report or evaluation should include a reference to the project or staff member’s contribution to the metric.
Your key metric should be in the job descriptions you post, described during the job interviews, and covered in the on-boarding process.
Your key measure should be everywhere.
The clarity of the key metric can give you a jolt of excitement and a sense of purpose when you really need it. Knowing it helps you to visualize success and chart a path forward. Seeing the impact you’ve already had helps you celebrate, feel a sense of progress, and learn.
Impact is the reason you do what you do. So define it. Remember it. Go for it.
The Organizer is a newsletter for people working to create equitable and sustainable communities. Whether you are part of a nonprofit, a charity, or a social enterprise, this newsletter is for you.
Each edition, we explore one aspect of social impact work. We answer a common “How do I …?” question, and we tell you about a tool that will help make your work a little easier. Subscribe for free at Entremission.com.