Measuring Impact - Nicva

22 Measuring Impact – Case-studies of impact assessment
Many of the outcomes can be measured quantitatively (e.g. the number of people enabled to
enter further education or the number of parents demonstrating improved childcare skills).
However, others are more difficult, especially those concerning empowerment and participation.
Here there are issues relating to whether success is thought of as a positive outcome for
the beneficiary (e.g. the service that was needed was accessed) or the enabling of a person to
make their needs known, irrespective of the result.
4.3.3 The impact descriptors identified in the survey
There were fewer descriptors of impact than might have been expected. This reflected the
genuine difficulty that many respondents had in expressing what they felt the wider impact of
their work was. The two most common impacts cited were increased public awareness and
reduction of demand for a public service. Increased public awareness of the interest or cause
or the situation of the beneficiary group was seen in both service-providing and campaigning
organisations. The reduction of demand for a public service was reported as an impact where
beneficiaries were enabled to gain employment or helped to solve family issues, hence
reducing the load on local social service provision. The frequent reporting of this impact
reflects the number of health and social care organisations in the study. Another common
impact mentioned was an increase in community spirit or perceived safety as a result of the
work of an organisation. This came from many different types of voluntary organisation.
Many organisations were able to say that there were wider economic benefits resulting from
their work. This figure would be greater if a reduction in demand for a public service were
transformed into savings for the area’s social services.
The impacts described in the survey are measurable in some cases, but often only by using
public surveys, such as a community safety survey, or a larger public awareness survey. Some
organisations may be able to monitor changes in coverage in the media, changes in the
pattern of personal giving or changes in the policies of service providers. Economic impacts
may be able to be measured for large-scale projects, but community projects may not have
access to the local statistics or expertise that would enable them to determine whether their
work is having a noticeable effect.
There was no incidence of an organisation identifying a negative impact of its work. There
are two reasons for this: the questionnaire used the phrase ‘wider, added value or secondary
benefit’ to ask about impact, and there is a natural tendency for workers to avoid reporting
negative results. This represents a major drawback of the study.