Charity Impact Measurement and Evaluation
Most charities know what their teams deliver. Showing what changes as a result, and how the work contributes to that change, takes a clear approach to measurement.
VMC Consulting helps charities gather and present evidence of their impact. Our specialists can help you understand what your evidence shows and how to use it.
Where are you on this spectrum?
Most charities do incredible work, but many cannot quantify the specific difference that work makes. Charity impact measurement closes that gap. It gives funders and trustees clear evidence of what changes because the organisation exists and gives the charity’s own team the insight it needs to improve services.
Step 1
“We do good stuff”
You understand the work you deliver but may have limited evidence of what changes as a result.
Step 2
“We do good stuff, and we can show its impact”
You collect information about outcomes but may need a clearer or more consistent way to assess and present it.
Step 3
“We do good stuff, and we can prove and quantify the difference we make”
You have a stronger picture of the changes associated with your work and can explain what the evidence does, and does not, tell you.
These stages are a guide, not a test. Your charity may have a strong approach in one area and gaps in another. The right next step depends on what you need to understand.
Impact measurement that helps you move forward
Funders increasingly expect evidence of outcomes rather than a list of activities delivered. Trusts and statutory commissioners want to know what changed for the people a charity supports, and how confident the charity can be that its work caused that change.
Charities that cannot answer those questions find funding harder to win and harder to keep. Boards have less to go on when making decisions. Services that work well go unrecognised, while services that need to change carry on as before.
Good impact measurement turns that around. Data is gathered in a systematic and robust way, giving boards a clearer view of performance and showing funders why the organisation is a good investment.
Outputs, outcomes and impact: what should You Measure?
Outputs describe what a charity delivers: sessions held, meals served or people supported. Outcomes describe the changes that follow, such as increased confidence or improved access to a service. Impact looks at the difference the work has made, taking account of other factors that may also have contributed to the change.
Moving beyond activity counts can help your charity build a more useful picture of its work. Choosing the right charity KPIs is one place to start
Impact measurement support for your charity
Our impact measurement consultants work with charity teams to understand what they need to measure and how best to use the information they collect. Support can include a focused review of a project, a broader evaluation or help presenting data more clearly.
Project health checks
A short, focused health check can help you review how a project is working and identify where more evidence or attention may be needed. It can be useful while a project is underway or as you prepare for a new funding round.
Evaluations
A more comprehensive evaluation can help you examine what a project set out to achieve, what the available evidence shows and what could be improved. We’ll agree the scope with you, so the work answers the questions that matter to your charity.
Data and reporting
Evidence is most useful when people can understand it. VMC can help present your data clearly for trustees, funders and other stakeholders. The Flourish chart on this page is one example of how data can be presented visually.
Talk to an impact measurement specialist
We will help you gather robust evidence of your impact and present it in a way that makes you stand out from the crowd. Get in touch for an informal conversation about where your charity is and where it needs to be.
Frequently asked questions
What is charity impact measurement?
Charity impact measurement is the process of collecting and analysing evidence of the difference a charity makes. It goes beyond counting activities to show what changes for beneficiaries as a result of the charity’s work, and how confident the charity can be that its work caused that change.
What is the difference between monitoring and evaluation?
Monitoring is the routine collection of data throughout a project, such as attendance figures and outcome scores. Evaluation is a periodic, more structured assessment of what that data shows, often carried out at the midpoint or end of a project. Monitoring helps teams adjust as they go, while evaluation provides the evidence base for funders and longer-term decisions.
Do small charities need to measure their impact?
Yes, though the approach should be proportionate. Most funders expect some evidence of outcomes regardless of the size of the charity. For a small organisation, a clear theory of change and a few well-chosen indicators are usually enough to meet funder expectations and improve services.
Can VMC evaluate a single project rather than the whole organisation?
Yes. Many engagements focus on one project or programme, often because a funder has asked for an evaluation. A project health check is a lighter option for work that is still being delivered.
How long does an impact evaluation take?
It depends on the scope. A project health check can often be completed within a few weeks, while a comprehensive evaluation of a multi-year programme may take several months. Timescales are agreed at the outset.
How much does impact measurement support cost? </H3>
Costs depend on the size of the organisation and the scope of the work, so every project is quoted individually. Ongoing support is available on a rolling monthly contract, which is typically more cost-effective than recruiting a permanent monitoring and evaluation post.