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Over the last couple of years, we’ve seen deteriorating mental health, and more and more people experience loneliness. The need for social interventions aimed at mitigating loneliness and improving life satisfaction have never been greater.
As part of the The National Partnership Against Loneliness, we want to provide knowledge and expertise to organisations fighting loneliness.
Read more about the National Partnership Against Loneliness
In this article, we'll guide you through the process of developing a robust Theory of Change for your loneliness intervention, enabling you to measure, manage and report your social impact in a tangible way.
Download our Theory of Change template
Download an example of a Theory of Change
Begin by articulating a clear vision for your loneliness intervention. What change do you aim to bring about? Is it reducing isolation among the elderly, fostering connections among young adults, or creating supportive communities for specific groups? Your vision sets the tone for your Theory of Change, giving it purpose and direction.
One of the things that many organisations forget to do, is do a thorough mapping of stakeholders affected by the potential effects and impact of the intervention. Here, it’s important to include all stakeholders that could be affected, and preferably also specify how important it is for them to be affected.
For example, if your loneliness interventions is aimed at students in secondary school, stakeholders could be their parents, teachers, municipalities, or classmates.
These stakeholders will all benefit differently from reduced loneliness, and they can provide important insights as to the change you create, which could support and improve your impact reporting in the end.
We usually suggest organisations to start off formulating the intended outcome, then the outputs, and lastly the activities and input. Our experience is that it heightens the focus on the desired impact and outcomes, which allows you to critically judge whether or not your activities are likely to support the impact-goal.
Outcomes are long-term beneficial results for the participant and potentially also certain stakeholders. For example, if you aim at reducing loneliness amongst secondary school studens, your intended, beyond reducing loneliness, could be to reduce the amount of drop-outs, thereby ensuring more finish their studies. It is important that the intended outcomes can be attributed to your intervention, so you don't take credit for changing the world with a very limited intervention. So, remember to be realistic with what you can attribute to your intervention.
When you’ve settled on the intended outcomes, it’s also important to consider the data indicators that could be used to measure, track and estimate the success of your intervention.
Outputs are known as the “small steps on the way” that happen due to your activities, and that helps you reach the intended outcome. Outputs are usually direct, measurable and tangible results of activities.
If we take the example of reducing loneliness amongst secondary school studens, outputs could be how many of them show to class, how many attend voluntary activities at school, or increased wellbeing.
Measuring these aspects will help you determine if your intervention is on track to reach your outcome, and whether or not the participants are progressing as intended.
If you find it hard, you’re not alone - it can be difficult to formulate a Theory of Change. That’s why we’ve arranged online Impact Talks, where organisations can get insights, examples and see how to formulate a measurable theory of change that enables them to showcase the social and economic value of their intervention.
Sign up for our online Impact Talk
Pinpoint the resources spent on the intervention and the activities that will drive your loneliness intervention forward. Resources could include funding, partnerships, and and volunteers. It's very important to include volunteers, if you aim to anchor the intervention towards a municipality or seek funding from a foundation, as these need to know all expenses before investing or donating. Activities encompass the specific steps you'll take to address loneliness, from organising social events to offering support groups. Break down each action, from planning and execution to monitoring and adaptation.
Outline the logical sequence of events that will lead to your desired outcomes. Connect the dots between your inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes, and ultimate impact. This pathway—often referred to as the 'intervention logic'—illustrates how your efforts will ripple out and combat loneliness in a targeted way.
Data is your ally in validating impact. Develop a data strategy aligned with your Theory of Change. Identify key indicators for each outcome and determine how to collect relevant data or information.
We've assisted organisations in setting up effective data strategies that reveal powerful insights. Don't overlook potential indicators, opportunities, or challenges.
Read more about how to setup a data strategy
By collecting robust data, you can measure your progress, learn from experiences, and adjust strategies as needed. Beyond that, good data collection will allow you to calculate the socio-economic consequences of your loneliness intervention with Loneliness in Numbers.
Read more about Loneliness in Numbers
Remember, your Theory of Change is adaptable, not static. Continuously evaluate your data to measure progress. Celebrate successes and address challenges, refining your strategies as necessary. Embrace the flexibility to tweak your Theory of Change based on insights gained along the way.
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