My colleague, Julie Close and I have been reflecting on a recent commission we worked on together. We worked with a small group of trustees who were leading an organisation that was considering closing.  Their founder had recently died, their work (mainly as a grant maker) paused during covid and hadn’t really restarted.  They had no digital systems, online presence or current policies.  They were feeling that they had no clear way forward and felt a little trapped in the past.  All of the trustees were ready to step down.

They appointed us, with the support of their local infrastructure organisation, to help them decide what to do next.

Your commissioners, funders or Board are asking you to evaluate your organisation or a particular project. But where to start? You will need to measure what tangible change happens to the people who use your services, your staff, volunteers, local community, local environment and other factors as a result of your activities. What impact are you having? Developing an Impact Measurement Framework with measurement indicators will help you to plot what to measure, how and when.