The Impact Pyramid

Organisations setting out to manage their impact more effectively need to do so using a coherent approach that brings together the different moving parts. Through dozens of impact management projects over the last 5 years we’ve developed a simple model - the Impact Pyramid.

The first thing to do is to build a solid base. We label this monitoring. It is about taking care of the fundamentals, also known as your outputs. It is absolutely essential to be able to record and retrieve information about who, where and how much? This is also where you differentiate participation by personal characteristics such as age cohort, gender identity, ethnicity etc. Good quality monitoring is really important for accountability, KPI’s associated with service level agreements, and assessing the ebbs and flows of demand over time. However, monitoring does not tell you whether your work has been effective. For that you need the next layer of the pyramid.

Next we have evaluation. Here, the focus shifts to your outcomes. In what aspects of their life is a difference being made for your beneficiaries? And what is the extent of that change, is it a little or a lot? We support many of our clients to develop comprehensive outcomes frameworks that explain clearly what outcomes are generated and what specific indicators will reveal progress being made towards securing these outcomes. To complete the framework we’ll look at what evidence collection tools (such as questionnaires and surveys) are needed to capture the relevant data at key intervals.

Finally, the tip of the pyramid: learning. Ultimately managing impact requires having accurate data that produces insight into What Works. By taking time to look carefully at patterns emerging from monitoring and evaluation reports we can identify valuable results and good practice that we can celebrate and share, as well as revealing what may need to become a focus for future improvement.

If you’re keen to enhance your organisation’s impact and require support we’d love to help. Our consultancy packages are very affordable, as is our bespoke CRM system - CIMPL.

A framework for tackling Health Inequalities

The Health Inequalities Framework for North Tyneside

The health inequalities that exist across local communities are well-documented and sadly feature right across the country. There is a well-established connection between poverty and poor health, along with a range of other factors.

When it comes to Public Health policy the borough of North Tyneside has been demonstrating increasing ambition, especially in the period following the coronavirus pandemic. A new strategy called “Equally Well” was launched with the Marmot Principles at its heart. In partnership with the NHS a £400,000 funding pot was created to catalyse a new wave of innovation amongst voluntary sector partners. Local infrastructure body VODA were contracted to manage the programme.

One feature of the programme that needed close attention was how it would be evaluated, with an emphasis on ensuring that important learning would be captured. Appreciating our strong track record in producing evaluations VODA contracted Goodlabs to deliver this element of the programme. Recognising the opportunity to contribute to enlarging the body of learning around this critical issue we were delighted to be involved.

Our approach was to create an ‘open source learning community’ consisting of all the VCSE partners who received grants. Rather than everyone working in silos we created a pattern of events and reports through which relationships could be developed and learning could be shared - both in terms of what is working, and what isn’t. By linking in-person events with the six-monthly reporting schedule we highlighted the relevance of evaluation data and created a sense of empowerment around its interpretation.

At the heart of the process was the creation of a new Health Inequalities Framework, co-produced by all the partners at our first learning community back in May 2022. With 8 impact themes and 55 specific indicators the framework covers all the expected changes taking place in the lives of individual people reached through project delivery, as well as a number of system-level changes too.

The programme continues until December 2023, when we will produce our final evaluation report.

The relationship between reporting data and meeting to discuss it is key

Voluntary sector groups co-producing the framework at event 1, May 2022

Launching the "Rugby+" framework

Launching Rugby+ at Kingston Park, Newcastle

It was fantastic to be at Kingston Park this week, home of the Newcastle Falcons Rugby Union and Newcastle Thunder Rugby League teams.

We were there for the official launch of the new Rugby+ framework, which we've been supporting the Newcastle Rugby Foundation to develop over the course of the year. There was incredible buzz in the venue from around a hundred specially invited guests as we listened to stories of how the foundation is making an impact in people’s lives.

Enhancing Impact is at the heart of everything we do at Goodlabs and we’ve been thrilled to be able to walk a journey with NRF as they have sought to more clearly articulate the difference they make. A big part of impact management being really clear about the change you want to achieve in people’s lives, then working back from this to ensure that you have all the necessary links in the chain to make it happen.

We produced a new theory of change for the foundation, linked to a detailed Outcomes Framework containing a range of bespoke indicators to enable the tracking of participant progress over time. Time was taken to make sure this framework could be embedded in the CRM system that the foundation uses (Upshot) as well as training key members of staff in how to use a number of new/updated digital evidence collection tools.

By organising the new framework into four headline themes, linking in to the Rugby+ branding, we ensured that the new ideas become ‘sticky’ within the team, and can be easily communicated to stakeholders. (see graphic below) It was great to have the chance to collaborate with marketing agency Cravens to develop and finesse the language used in the model.

Good luck to all the team as you step up your activities in the months ahead :-)

The four impact themes in the new Rugby+ framework

Making an impact with IMO in Blackburn

“Inspire, Motivate, Overcome” - they are the driving principles of the Inter Madrassah Organisation in Blackburn.

The charity, originally founded by a small but very committed group of local volunteers has grown rapidly now and now reaches thousands of local people every year with a range of support and activities. IMO has particular expertise in working with young people and families mainly of BAME heritage, facing multiple disadvantages.

Goodlabs was introduced to the charity as part of our work supporting the Lloyds Bank Foundation ‘Enhance’ programme. Having scaled up their operation substantially in response to local need that emerged during the coronavirus pandemic IMO are keen to explore how to more systematically embed impact management into their organisation at both the strategic and operational level. A new outcomes framework is being developed, to be embedded into their CRM system and aligned with frontline evidence-gathering tools.

The photo above shows members of the core team at a recent ‘Impact Lab’ facilitated by Goodlabs at the Eanam Wharf Business Centre in Blackburn.

East London Churches' Community Impact

During the coronavirus pandemic everyone’s life was disrupted… shops, offices, schools, and also places of worship. In this fascinating project Goodlabs were asked to produce an external evaluation of the work of a grop of churches in East London as they mobilised members to support their local communities.

“Organising For Growth” is an initiative of the Centre for Theology and Community, an organisation well-known for its work in the arena of community organising and social enterprise development. The CTC has been part of highly effective campaigns to secure the Living Wage for local cleaners, and even launched its own ethical cleaning company, Clean For Good.

Whilst the launch of “Organising For Growth” in late 2019 meant that its first year was more than a little turbulent we found an extremely impressive range of community-oriented activities had taken place, even under lockdown. Of particular note was the way in which clergy had enabled lay members of their congregations to grow in their leadership by taking responsibility for important community campaigns and programmes.

Our interim evaluation was published earlier this month. We will continue to journey with the project through 2022 producing our final evaluation in early 2023.

Making the light even brighter in Sunderland

We’re delighted to have commenced a new impact project with the Foundation of Light, the official charitable foundation of Sunderland Football Club.

The Foundation has its home in the world-class ‘Beacon of Light’ community sports facility that stands prominently alongside the Stadium of Light in Sunderland. A wide range of programmes are offered at the Beacon opening up access to football alongside a vast array of other activities designed to support healthy development in all aspects of life. However, impressive as it is, there’s far more to the Foundation that just the work that happens at the Beacon site. Teams of foundation staff are also out and about around the area seven days a week, delivering programmes in schools and in the community.

Goodlabs is supporting the Foundation with a strategic piece of work to make an even bigger impact in the years ahead. We’re working with staff from senior leaders through to frontline delivery in order to align and embed the impact ambitions of the Foundation’s new strategic plan. Backed by an array of funders and stakeholders including key partners such as the Premier League Charitable Fund there is huge opportunity. The challenge is to empower every single member of the team to evidence the difference they’re making clearly and consistently. It’s about making impact everyone’s business. It’s a vital task that we’re so pleased to be able to support with.

Let's make an impact together in 2021

Make 2021 your year of Impact

About Your organisation:

• You will be a charity, charitable foundation or social enterprise with an annual turnover of £1—5 million

• Your annual report presents impressive numbers showing how busy you are, but the story of your effectiveness hinges on a few carefully selected case studies

• You have a complex network of funders and find that it can be very challenging to manage your reporting obligations to them

• It is not uncommon for an upcoming reporting deadline to send a ripple of panic through your teams

• You have never developed an overarching impact framework that consolidates your various outcomes into a single cohesive model

• You collect lots of data but struggle to interpret it in ways that support the communication of your impact story

What I will bring:

• 20 years’ experience of strategic leadership in the social sector

• 4 years’ experience of in Impact Management consultancy, supporting 40 organisations to develop their reach, impact and resilience.

• Learning from past and present clients including Lloyds Bank Foundation, Greggs Foundation, Northumberland Council, Gateshead Council, YMCA, Age UK, Mind, Save the Children and many more.

What will change as a result:

• Your organisation will become optimised for greater impact at every level

• A common philosophy of impact will become embedded from the frontline to the boardroom

• You will learn what aspects of your work are reliably making an impact, and where improvement is required

• You will provide a more transformative service to your beneficiaries

• You will give existing funders with greater assurance that you are able to deliver what you promise

• You will present a more compelling case for support to potential funders

• Your systems for measuring, monitoring and managing outcomes will be enhanced, using labour-saving digital technologies

To book a zoom call to talk about your requirements in more detail email: impact@goodlabs.uk

#ThousandTrees

UPDATE: In December 2021 we hit our target of 1000 trees planted. We’ve decided to continue as we began and look forward to our hitting our next milestone of 2000!

As a business specialising in impact management it’s only right that we lead by example. As an expression of our concern about the climate emergency, and as a commitment to do our best to tread lightly on this beautiful planet, we are delighted to become an official partner of the global reforestation charity One Tree Planted.

Find out the full story below…

#ThousandTrees is our pledge to plant a forest of 1000 trees over the next 2 years. Over the course of their lifetime our trees will sequester an estimated 500 metric tonnes of CO2. We have chosen to plant our forest in Haiti, the poorest nation in the western hemisphere and a place that, due to its extreme poverty, has seen rapid deforestation in recent decades. Reforesting the hills of Haiti has a double bonus, as the trees not only sequester carbon from the atmosphere, but also protect against deadly flooding and landslips during hurricane season. Another benefit is to halt erosion, which combined with over-farming and poor agricultural methods, has destroyed the region’s soil, making it very difficult to grow food. The Goodlabs forest will help restore nutrients to the soil. Parallel programmes alongside the planting will teach local farmers how to use the land responsibly and profitably. Due to the tropical climate trees planted grow faster than here in Britain so the benefits of the scheme are realised more quickly too.

To find out more about One Tree Planted and how your business can partner to grow your own forest click here.

Intro to Impact Management

Is impact a good thing?

Impact isn’t generally used in a positive sense - as anyone who has had a prang in their car knows. Indeed, the dictionary defines it as “Forcible contact or collision”.

Impact generally leaves a noticeable impression. It often produces a change in shape. So why do we use the word impact in the context of the lives of the people that we work with? 

It is helpful to think of impact in the artistic sense of the word, for example a sculptor chipping away to bring out something special and valuable.

Speaking the lingo (definitions)

Impact sits within a wider cluster of ideas that relate to the effectiveness of the services that we deliver, including:  

• Outputs, which tell us how busy we have been:
  They typically count of the number of times we did something,
  e.g. provided 17 coffee mornings attended by a total of 28 older people.

• Outcomes, which tell us how effective we have been:
  They summarise what changed as a result of the activity/service being delivered, e.g. 75% of participants reported being less socially isolated.

• Indicators, which are the building blocks of evidence:
  They are the specific things we track in order to show an outcome is being achieved, e.g. reducing sugar intake and walking more are both indicators of physical health.

• Impact, which describes the overall effect of our work:
  Patterns in outcomes data over time are used to tell the bigger story of how a service is making a difference within a population, e.g. We saw a moderate improvement in the health of 65-75 year old men last year.

Sector Trends

When Impact first came on the scene the preoccupation was with measurement. There was a sense that collecting lots of data reassured organisations of their professionalism. Over time organisations realised that they were accumulating lots of data but lacked the ability to interpret and understand the story that the data was telling them.  

Impact Management is a more recent development that places the emphasis on being very clear on what data is being collected and why. Within Impact Management the aim of reporting on Outputs and Outcomes is in order to understand what aspects of a service are being effective and to identify where it is proving more challenging to achieve positive change. Data is used to aid reflection and learning, with a view to continuous and intelligent service improvement.

Social Impact

Within the world of Impact the phrase Social Impact is often discussed. This represents a desire to make claims about the ‘knock-on effect’ of organisational impact through the wider social system, e.g. reductions in A&E admissions or reduced demand on Social Care services. ‘Social Return on Investment’ sits at the most difficult end of impact reporting involving complex mathematics and economics based on principles such as ‘Attribution’ e.g. how can you be sure that the improvement you saw in the wellbeing of a client was due to your intervention and not some other factor?

Expert economists have produced a variety of databases containing a wide range of ‘Financial proxies’ which seek to apply £ values to the outcomes achieved, e.g. frequent moderate exercise has a wellbeing effect of £4179. It is fair to say that within the sector are both enthusiasts for, and sceptics of, the £ values proposed in these economic models.   

Where next?

If you’d like to have a chat with us about how impact management can be used to drive improvement within your charity, social enterprise or business just drop a line to: impact@goodlabs.uk

Creating an Impact Framework

Change must not be left to chance. Before deciding where to invest their money in your organisation Funders and Commissioners need to be reassured that you can reliably deliver result. This short webinar by our MD, Matt Wilson, provides an overview of to begin putting together a framework for measuring, monitoring and managing the impact that is being made by your charity or social enterprise.