Measuring Impact - Nicva

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Tools for impact assessment 11 Tools for impact assessment 2 Susan Wainwright,NCVO Introduction 2.1 Given the different motivations for impact assessment and the different kinds of impact (see section 3.3), no single tool or method can adequately capture the whole range of impacts. Similarly, the diversity of the voluntary sector means that it is unrealistic to expect a single tool to be applicable to the whole sector. We have identified a wide range of tools, each of which is appropriate in different circumstances. This chapter looks briefly at some of these tools and considers their uses and limitations. Existing tools 2.2 The available tools reflect the range of activities that the sector engages in. Approaches have been developed that are tailored to a particular type or size of organisation, as well as to particular activities. Numerous guides offer step-by-step instructions, as well as overviews of the available tools for organisations that want to know what is available. These are covered in more detail in Measuring Impact – A Guide to Resources, so only a short review is offered here. A good starting point for those interested in impact assessment is to look at the tools and approaches developed for voluntary organisations engaged in regeneration activities. Regeneration covers a wide range of activities, yet the common themes, including community involvement and a contribution to social capital have formed the basis of a number of impact assessment tools. For example, Achieving Better Community Development (Scottish Community Development Centre) is an approach based on the idea that the evaluation of community development should be governed by the same principles as community development itself. Evaluation is seen as an integral part of the process of community development, and community involvement as a vital part of the evaluation process. Funders seeking to measure the impact of their project funding sometimes develop their own approaches. These include the Millennium Commission’s study of the social impact of their Millennium Award scheme, and Lloyds TSB Foundation’s First Steps in Impact Assessment. The latter tests the usefulness of a questionnaire as a tool for impact assessment.
12 Measuring Impact – Case-studies of impact assessment Finally, a number of studies have tried to take into account the different perspectives of stakeholders when assessing impact. A number of frameworks have been developed to address this, including the New Economics Foundation’s Social Auditing. Common themes 2.3 Common themes can be identified among existing tools and approaches. Perhaps the most persistent is the involvement of the community and other stakeholders in the evaluation process. Another is the idea that the voluntary sector differs fundamentally from the public and private sectors, and any tool for impact assessment should reflect and capture this difference or added value. Social capital is another important issue for the sector. Organisations are thought to both make use of, and contribute to, social capital. While a number of approaches 1 attempt to capture this, the field needs further development. There is general agreement that not very much is known about the impact of the sector as a whole, or sub-sectors and clusters of organisations. This is being rectified in part by a number of recent studies that have attempted to address this. 2 However, these are not UK specific. The range of methodologies being used to measure impact in the voluntary sector has also been studied, though again this field is not UK oriented. 3 Another common feature is the development of toolkits, methodologies or guidelines for inhouse use, with the recognition that they may be of interest to a wider audience. Examples include Connexions’ A little Book of Evaluation, New Economics Foundation’s Prove it! and the previously mentioned First Steps in Impact Assessment by Lloyds TSB Foundation. Problems with existing approaches 2.4 No tool can claim to assess all aspects of impact. As a result, approaches are tailored to specific types of impact or organisation. Nevertheless, there are still particular types of impact that cannot be adequately identified or assessed using current tools. For example, no tools exist to adequately assess unanticipated impacts. Most approaches establish a framework for assessment at the beginning of the process, which might preclude the observation of unanticipated impact during the measurement process. Unanticipated impacts include the negative aspects of an organisation’s impact, rarely captured using any of the existing tools. Similarly the short time scales of most approaches, and the need to be able to report impact soon after a project is completed, rarely allow for the assessment of long-term impact. Also, the more time that is allowed to pass between an activity and the assessment of its impacts, the more the impact of the activity will be diluted by external factors. Finally, collective impact (impact achieved by a cluster of organisations or projects) is difficult to measure using any of the existing tools as the measurement process involves the co-operation of more than one organisation or project. 1 For example Morrissey et al (2001) Building an Indicator Template for Evaluating Community-Based and Voluntary Activity in Northern Ireland. 2 Salamon et al (2000) The Nonprofit Sector: For What and For Whom. See also Independent Sector (2002) Balancing the Scales. 3 Independent Sector (2001) Outcome Measurement in Nonprofit Organizations.
Page 1 and 2: Measuring Case-studies of impact as
Page 3 and 4: Acknowledgements NCVO - Susan Wainw
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Page 8 and 9: Introduction 7 Introduction: impact
Page 10 and 11: Introduction 9 Figure 1.2 - Pressur
Page 14 and 15: Tools for impact assessment 13 The
Page 16 and 17: Ideas underpinning impact assessmen
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Page 20 and 21: Identifying & categorising the sect
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Page 56 and 57: Lessons learnt & guidance for futur
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References & resources 61 Reference
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National Council for Voluntary Orga
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