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Outcomes & Impact

Outputs, Outcomes & Impact

Charities that track and demonstrate the difference their work makes can strengthen funding, support, and engagement. Funders routinely expect charities to show the impact of their funding, and providing this evidence helps volunteers and the wider community appreciate the value of your work. While setting up systems to track outcomes and impact may take some initial effort, once embedded into your usual processes it becomes straightforward and not time-consuming. The level of detail and what you report will vary, but there are three key aspects to consider: outputs, outcomes, and impact.

Outputs, Outcomes, and Impact

  • Outputs are the activities or services you deliver, such as workshops run or people trained. They are straightforward to measure and show what you did.

  • Outcomes are the changes or benefits resulting from your outputs, like improved skills, confidence, or community engagement. They are measured using surveys, feedback, interviews, or pre‑ and post‑activity evaluations.

  • Impact is the long-term difference your charity makes, including contributions to wider community objectives such as health, education, employment, or sustainability. Measuring impact emphasises looking holistically, not just counting what you did (outputs) or immediate changes (outcomes), but understanding the broader societal value your work delivers when compared with wider community objectives. This helps funders see the long-term relevance of your work and its contribution to the community.

  • Social value builds on impact by attributing it to specific social, economic, or environmental areas. Using frameworks like the Social Value Portal’s TOMs, social value provides a structured, evidence-based picture of the broader societal benefits your work delivers. Social value captures the broader societal value your work delivers when compared with wider community objectives.

Outcomes-Based Accountability (OBA)

Many local funders prefer the OBA approach, which focuses on defining the population served, the outcomes sought, and how progress will be measured. It emphasises practical, evidence-based assessment rather than just counting activities. Training and resources on OBA are available locally — email Social Investment Fund.

Measuring Outputs and Outcomes

  1. Outputs – track what you do (sessions delivered, participants reached, resources provided).

  2. Outcomes – track what changes using surveys, interviews, suggestion boxes, case studies, or informal conversations.

Example: Community Café Project

  • Output: The café ran 12 weekly sessions, serving 200 local residents with low-cost meals and providing 6 volunteer opportunities.

  • Outcome: 80% of attendees reported feeling less socially isolated, and volunteers gained skills in food preparation and customer service. Feedback was collected through short surveys, suggestion boxes, and informal conversations with visitors.

  • Impact: The café contributed to stronger community connections, improved wellbeing among residents, and increased employability for volunteers, supporting broader local objectives around health, social inclusion, and community engagement.

Measuring Impact

Impact is more complex than outputs or outcomes and often requires a structured approach to capture the long-term difference your charity makes. It may involve a Theory of Change, longitudinal tracking, or social value calculations.

When measuring impact, consider how the broader outcomes of your work contribute to wider community or government objectives. Social value captures the broader societal value your work delivers when compared with these objectives, helping funders, volunteers, and the community understand not just what you did, but the meaningful difference your work makes at a wider level. This approach demonstrates the relevance of your activities to public priorities and strengthens your case for continued support.