Measuring for Impact Beyond The Surface

By Amy Klement

Having data to understand and increase progress is, no doubt, important across all sectors. Whether your organization's mission is to expand access to learning opportunities, increase workforce opportunities for youth, or to reduce carbon emissions in our ozone layer, we all know data helps us make sense of the world and its complex problems.

But consider how one might measure growing confidence among youth? Or the strength of emerging relationships between racial equity leaders and education policymakers? These questions require us to lean into different kinds of measurement tools, and to listen deeply to the communities we aim to serve. Many of us have seen this photo of an iceberg above the water as being only a tiny part of the larger picture. The metaphor, in many ways, could be applied here: So much change takes place beyond the surface.

Someone wise named Einstein once said: “Not everything that matters can be measured, and not everything that can be measured matters.” In philanthropy, there’s a tendency to overemphasize the importance of easily measurable data, often clashing with the ever-evolving nature of impact itself.

The reality is: Systems change work is complex. The traditional “gold standard” for measuring impact can take many years or even decades; it can require large sample sizes and controlling for different variable factors. Realistically, many of our partners who are working on urgent issues that impact families and communities don't have the luxury of time on their side. Ultimately, embracing all types of data, staying flexible and creating a trusted space for learning can serve as the basis for a more effective understanding of impact.

Lessons Learned & Insight

Earlier this year, we shared?our perspective?on how we think about “impact.” On our blog, we share three main lessons learned and insights that have improved?our approach?to measuring impact. We hope that by sharing our journey with you, it might spark your imagination on how to capture transformation that happens beyond the surface.

Visit our blog to learn more about these insights.

Read our full blog post to learn more about these learnings and insights that have informed our approach to capturing progress and transformation.