Measuring Impact - Nicva

Introduction 9
Figure 1.2 – Pressures to assess impact: measurement and demonstration
In contrast, pressures to demonstrate impact are more likely to be bottom-up and internally
driven. The process of demonstrating impact is more likely to be qualitative and may be more
resource intensive. Stakeholders such as donors and volunteers might be more interested in
how progress towards a set of goals has been achieved with a certain level of resources, rather
than the proportion of targets met in a given year. However, it could be argued that impact
demonstration does not address the central question of efficient resource allocation.
Approaches to impact assessment 1.4
Chapter 2 offers a short overview of the currently available tools, but argues that some
aspects of impact, including long-term and unanticipated impact, cannot be readily measured
or demonstrated using the available tools. This is a significant barrier, certainly for small and
medium-sized organisations.
Chapter 3 illustrates the common themes and principles that underpin our approaches to
demonstrating impact. The main body of this report then highlights findings from four
different (but related) approaches to impact assessment. The approaches were tested using four
separate research projects, undertaken in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
The first report (Chapter 4) asks “what are the dimensions or characteristics of collective impact
from the voluntary and community sector’s perspective”. Based upon a large-scale survey of
organisations in Wales, it highlights key problems for those wishing to assess the impact of the
sector or its constituents, including the diversity of function and industry. It also highlights
concerns regarding the flexible use of language in this field, such as the interchange of impact
and outcomes. However, the chapter identifies a broad range of themes that might form the
basis of a future impact typology. This is discussed in more depth in the concluding chapter.