What do you do if you're not sure which tools to use for measuring social impact?

Begin by defining your mission and objectives clearly. What specific social change are you aiming to achieve? Understanding your goals will help you determine which metrics are most relevant to measure your impact.

Clarifying your purpose - and ensuring there is a shared understanding across your organisation is a critical first step. It sounds simple, but misalignment in an organisation's purpose is a common problem that gets in the way of building an efficient and robust impact practice.

Don't jump straight to measuring social impact if you haven't measured the preceding pieces yet! What are those preceding pieces? 1. Are you implementing your activities? (Do you know that you are fully implementing the activities you planned to make impact? If you can't say with certainty if you are, focus your measurement here.) 2. Are your activities leading to the targeted outcomes? (For example, are people completing your trainings? If you can't say with certainty if they are, focus your measurement here.) If you have done 1 and 2, then you are ready for your purpose to be measuring your social impact. If you have NOT yet done 1 and 2, then these need to be what you set up first- these are your purpose- before going further.

Take the time to research and familiarize yourself with different measurement tools and methodologies available. There is a wealth of resources, from academic papers to online courses, that can deepen your understanding of impact assessment.

Recognize that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to measuring social impact. Each organization or initiative is unique, and the measurement tools and metrics that work for one may not be suitable for another. Tailor your approach to fit the specific context and goals of your project.

Nessa etapa vale fazer um esforço de benchmark com empresas que realizam um trabalho semelhante. Quando iniciei no mercado de trabalho eu acreditava que haveriam vários entraves nesse tipo de prática, mas descobri ao longo dos anos que a maioria das corporações são super abertas a trocar experiências e aprendizados. Vale tentar um contato pelo LinkedIn mesmo com gestores daquela empresa que você tem como modelo.

In my experience, one thing I've found helpful is to start small and iterate. Rather than aiming for the most sophisticated tools right away, begin with simple, easily accessible methods to gather initial data and insights. Then, based on what you learn and the feedback you receive, you can gradually refine your approach and incorporate more advanced measurement tools as needed. This approach not only allows for a smoother integration process but also fosters a culture of continuous improvement within your organization, where measuring social impact becomes an organic part of your operations rather than a daunting task.

I'm a great believer in finding tools that work for your organisation and what you're trying to measure. It's unlikely the existing tools out there will be a perfect fit but there's probably bits that would work, so take those and build on them. Ultimately your tools will need adapting as you test and use them, and figure out better ways of doing things.

It's important to explore why you want to collect the impact data in the first place. Who do you want to share it with, who do you want to influence, what do you want to use it for? Getting crystal clear on your audience and purpose will help you to determine which tools to use and why.

In my perspective, it's essential to consider the specific goals and context of our project or initiative. Here's a step-by-step approach to help us decide: 1. Define goals: Know what we want to achieve. 2. Consider stakeholders: Understand their needs. 3. Review tools: Look for ones that fit our goals and stakeholders. 4. Assess feasibility: Check if it's practical to use. 5. Pilot test: Try it out on a small scale first. 6. Adapt: Adjust based on feedback. 7. Seek guidance: Consult experts if needed. This streamlined process should help us choose the right tool for measuring social impact.

Firstly, the average social enterprise creates social value in many ways and at different times. Impact appeals to different audiences. Take a mentor in a school. Increasing attendance and engagement is good for the school and immediate. Better performance means a better job (DWP) in the future and improved decision making may lengthen a life (Health). Identifying who you wish to impress is critical. Second, ask what the target audience needs to tick their box; as in, what evidence and what level of detail will they be happy with. So, make sure the data you collect meets the demands of the "eyes of the beholder". In short, map all your impact, identify who your audience is (or audiences are) and ask them what evidence would be enough.

Two things I found important in this: - Intention before purpose: We must first intend to achieve impact and change in the lives of the target group. - Measurement is inevitable: We Should Measure the impact even if by asking customers or targeted people: Are you better now?