Whether you are achieving anything.
WHY IT IS DIFFICULT
Social change is slow, caused by many factors, and hard to attribute.
WHY IT MATTERS ANYWAY
Without it, you cannot know whether resources are well used.
WHAT TO DISTINGUISH
- Activities: what you did
- Outputs: what was produced
- Outcomes: what changed for people
- Impact: the longer-term difference
WHY THE DISTINCTION MATTERS
Most reporting stops at activities and outputs.
WHAT EXAMPLES SHOW
- Training sessions held: activity
- People trained: output
- People employed afterwards: outcome
- Household income change: impact
WHAT TO MEASURE
Outcomes, at minimum.
HOW
Data collected from beneficiaries, before and after.
WHAT THAT REQUIRES
Deciding the measure at the start Collecting a baseline Following up
WHY THE BASELINE
Without it, change cannot be demonstrated.
WHAT TO BE HONEST ABOUT
Attribution.
WHY
Other factors affect outcomes, and claiming sole credit is not credible.
WHAT TO SAY INSTEAD
What you contributed to.
WHAT TO AVOID
Measuring only what is easy Measures that encourage the wrong behaviour Claims unsupported by data
WHAT WRONG BEHAVIOUR LOOKS LIKE
Selecting beneficiaries who will produce good numbers.
WHY THAT IS A SERIOUS FAILURE
It excludes those most in need.
WHAT TO PUBLISH
What you found, including disappointing results.
