If you’re working in a charity, social enterprise, or impact investment space, you’ve probably heard the term impact measurement thrown around a lot. But what does it actually mean—and where do you start if you’re trying to wrap your head around it?
At its heart, impact measurement is about understanding the difference your work (what you’re doing and how you’re doing it) is making in the world. It’s more than just counting the number of people you reached or events you ran—it’s about tracking what changed because of what you did. Did someone’s life get better? Did a community become more resilient? Did your work save public money, or improve access to services?
In Europe, there’s a growing movement to make this process more structured and useful. The GECES framework (developed by the European Commission) sets out some really helpful principles. It says that measurement must be:
- relevant: It should connect directly to the outcomes you’re trying to achieve;
- helpful: It should give people inside and outside your organisation what they need, including to make decisions;
- simple: both in how the measurement is made, and in how it is presented;
- natural: arising from the normal flow of activity to outcome. It should fit into your existing workflows—not feel like a mountain of extra admin
- certain: The way the measurement is worked out and shared should be clear and reliable.
- understood and accepted: Everyone involved should be able to understand it and agree with it.
- transparent and well-explained: It should be easy to see how the measurement was done, and how it connects to the work and the changes being measured;
- founded on evidence: The results should be backed up with enough proof to build confidence and support learning and improvement over time.
The point is: good impact measurement isn’t about perfection. It’s about usefulness. The best systems start small and evolve. A few honest reflections, a story from someone you’ve helped, a simple data point that shows what’s changing—these are all powerful.
Remember that ‘founded on evidence’ does not require you to evidence it to within an inch of its life ! You need enough evidence to give the audience (and you) confidence that what you are saying is right and true. Measurement is useful if something changes as a result of knowing it. If you gather additional evidence and no one – either now or in the future – uses or responds to it, it’s a waste. Evidence, of course, can include personal testimony from programme participants, and observation by professionals involved as much as surveys and assessment tools. You will gain strength in the measurement if you can gain data from more than one of the following, and that data aligns:
- Personal stories from the cohort, self-reported – the individuals, groups or systems you support
- Third-party observations or reports, like from professionals or staff
- Clear actions or changes that show something new or better is happening
So if you’re just starting out, ask yourself: What do we want to achieve? How will we know we’re getting there? And who needs to hear about it?
That’s your starting point. The rest flows from there.
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If you’re interested in finding out more about impact measurement and how this could benefit your organisation – for evaluation, for fundraising, for campaigning, for systems change – get in touch. We offer learning opportunities like training and workshops to support you to get started.
