How can you use impact measurement to attract funding for your non-profit's community development programs?

1 What is impact measurement?

Impact measurement is the process of collecting and analyzing data to assess how your non-profit's activities and outputs affect the social, economic, or environmental conditions of your target community. Impact measurement helps you to understand and improve your performance, accountability, and learning. It also helps you to showcase your impact and tell your story to your donors, partners, and beneficiaries.

2 Why does impact measurement matter?

Impact measurement matters because it can help you to attract more funding for your community development programs. Funders are increasingly looking for evidence of the outcomes and impact of their investments, not just the inputs and outputs. They want to see how you are making a difference in the lives of the people and the environment you serve. By measuring and reporting your impact, you can demonstrate your value proposition, your credibility, and your alignment with the funder's goals and priorities. You can also use impact measurement to identify and address any gaps or challenges in your programs, and to leverage your successes and best practices.

3 How to design impact measurement?

Impact measurement requires careful planning and design before you begin collecting and analyzing data. This includes defining impact goals, indicators, data sources, methods, and tools, as well as considering resources, capacities, and constraints. To start, create a theory of change that explains how activities and outputs lead to the desired outcomes and impact. This should include assumptions, risks, and external factors that may affect the impact. Next, identify the specific and measurable variables that will show changes in the target community. Choose data sources and methods that are relevant, realistic, and reliable. Select instruments and platforms to collect, store, manage, and visualize data that are user-friendly, secure, and compatible.

4 How to implement impact measurement?

Impact measurement requires regular and consistent implementation throughout your program cycle. This means collecting and analyzing data at different stages, such as baseline, midline, endline, and follow-up. Additionally, you must monitor and evaluate the quality, validity, and reliability of the data. To ensure success in this endeavor, it is essential to train and engage staff and stakeholders in the process. They should be made aware of the impact measurement goals and processes, with adequate training, guidance, and feedback provided. It is also important to collect and analyze data ethically and rigorously while respecting the privacy, confidentiality, and consent of data subjects. Additionally, best practices and standards of data methods and tools should be followed. Descriptive, inferential, or thematic analysis techniques should be used to analyze the data. Lastly, the impact measurement plan should be reviewed and adjusted periodically based on data findings and feedback. This includes checking if the impact goals, indicators, data sources, methods, and tools are still relevant, realistic, and reliable while addressing any challenges or opportunities in the impact measurement process.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?