What is social impact assessment? A beginner's guide

What is social impact assessment?

At its core, social impact assessment is the systematic process of evaluating the social outcomes of a project, programme, or initiative. It goes beyond simply measuring outputs and outcomes, such as the number of participants served or their mental wellbeing, to focus on outcomes and changes - the tangible and intangible ways in which your work improves lives and contributes to society - and it involves continuously analysing this change in order to get insights that can help you ultimately maximise your social impact.

In order to make the most of your impact assessment, you need a Theory of Change that includes:

• Inputs: Resources, such as funding, staff, and time, invested in the initiative.
• Activities: Actions or interventions carried out to achieve desired results.
• Outputs: Immediate results, such as services provided or products delivered.
• Outcomes: The changes or benefits experienced by individuals or communities as a result of the initiative.
• Impact: The long-term, broader effects on society, often including social, economic, and systemic changes.

This will provide you with a strategic foundation for evaluation and assessing your social impact continuously, as you will have the key impact metrics necessary for you to truly understand how, where and when you create a profound impact on people and society, and where you can adjust your initiative to better cater to the participants' needs.

So, impact assessment is a stringent part of working within social impact, and should be seen as an on-going task for you and your organisation to have a better understanding of the changes, you facilitate.

Why does social impact assessment matter?

Impact assessment is not just a tool - it's a strategic necessity for organisations aiming to maximise their social impact and the social and economic value of their work. Here’s why it’s important:

1. Accountability: Being able to analyse and act upon insights builds trust with stakeholders, funders, and the communities you serve.
2. Resource allocation: By identifying what works, you can focus resources on the most effective programmes.
3. Strategic decision-making: Impact data helps organisations refine their approach and make data-driven decisions.
4. Transparency: Utilising impact assessment allows for better reporting of your outcomes, fostering stronger relationships with funders and partners.
5. Advocacy: Tangible evidence of social impact strengthens your case for continued support and funding.

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Examples of social impact assessment in action

1. A community health initiative: A nonprofit conducts an impact assessment to evaluate how its vaccination programme reduces disease rates, improves public health, and decreases healthcare costs. Doing the assessment, enables them to see who they have reached succesfully, and what to change in order to make a larger impact.
2. An employment programme: A job-training organisation measures its success by tracking how many participants secure stable employment and experience improved well-being. With the assessment, they can continuously seek new partners because they can communicate how they are enroute to helping current participants, and they can foresee which citizens are likely to find employment, and who needs additional help.
3. Educational support programme: A charity supporting at-risk youth assesses the impact of its mentoring programme on graduation rates and future job opportunities. Just like the employment programme, education programs can use their assessment for stakeholder management, partnerships and in terms of maximising the overall social impact.

See how Mind Your Own Business assess their social impact with Impactly

How to get started with social impact assessment

For those just beginning their impact assessment journey, the process may seem daunting. Here’s a simple roadmap:

1. Define your goals: Clarify what you aim to achieve and the changes you want to see.
2. Develop a Theory of Change: Map out how your inputs, activities, and outputs will lead to desired outcomes and impact.
3. Choose relevant impact metrics: Identify data points that reflect your goals, such as changes in well-being, education levels, or employment rates.
4. Collect data: Use validated questionnaires, surveys or interviews to measure your social impact with scientific rigour and efficiency.
5. Analyze progress: Translate data into actionable insights, and prioritize the assessment as a vital part of your organisation's work
6. Report social impact: Assessing your social impact, enables you to continuously share results with stakeholders, and makes for an easier final impact reporting when that time comes.

Assess social impact with ease

If you would like to hear how Impactly can help you measure, assess and report your social impact with ease, feel free to book a demo with our CEO, Johan Dubert.

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