Charity Impact and Evaluation: 50+ Printables PDF Book
£24.00
At last you can make sense of all things impact and evaluation in non-profit work quickly and easily, one page at a time, starting today. This book of over 50 printables put together by an impact and evaluation professional will give you everything you need to know in one place that you can refer back to at any time – a consultant in your pocket for a tiny fraction of the price.
“If it can’t be explained on a single page, then it’s been over-complicated unnecessarily.”
Printables in total
Exclusive printables not available to the public
Charities supported with these principles and frameworks
How this will help
Feel confident talking to both non-experts and professionals about impact and evaluation
BEFORE: You know you have a responsibility to demonstrate impact but doubt whether you’re doing things the right way or not. You worry you might embarrass yourself when talking to colleagues or expose gaps in your knowledge. You’ve been asked to commission an independent evaluation, but aren’t 100% sure what you should be asking for or what the signs of a good evaluation are. You feel put on the spot and let it stress you out.
AFTER: Except, now you know what to expect. You’re confident with the basics. You know what you’re talking about.
Save precious time and get straight to the information that matters and makes sense
BEFORE: You care greatly about doing or job or being a great candidate for charity sector roles and know that understanding how to measure impact will be an important part of your work, but you’re overwhelmed with how much information is out there. You’ve started Googling ‘impact measurement’ but have already found four different explanations of the word ‘impact’ – how do you know which one to trust? You don’t have the time or money to take a course. You wish someone could give you the answers to your questions quickly and simply and end this frustration.
AFTER: Except, now you have all the answers in one place, explained simply and clearly. You can go back and reference the answers to your questions in any order at any time. You can feel productive in your work and interviews now.
Get the resources you need without forking out for expensive training and conferences
BEFORE: You know that impact and evaluation covers a huge breadth of knowledge and work – people have PhDs and giant textbooks in evaluation methods alone. So you look at training options – but they’re costly and haven’t been written into your budget. You find a moderately priced one and feel great at the end of the training day. But a month later, most of what the trainer’s said has gone from your mind and you were the only person to attend so you can’t ask your colleagues for reminders. It’s as if you never went and there’s no money for repeat training.
AFTER: Except, now you have a record of everything you need in one place. It’s not going anywhere. You can read it all in less than the time it takes to attend a day’s training and you know it doesn’t matter if you forget parts – it’s always there for you to go back to in a logical order.
what do you get?
In summary
- 17 Explainer documents
- 15 Templates and examples
- 7 Checklists
- 7 Step-by-step guides and process documents
- 4 Jargon busters
- 3 Business cases
…And 1 professional who’s put it all together for you in one easy-to-read place.
Want the full list of contents?
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GETTING YOUR CONCEPTS RIGHT
Impact Strategy Jargon Buster
The Cycle of Impact Practice
What Data Terminology Looks Like
What is ‘MEAL’
Impact Practice Job Acronyms
Terms Used and Alternative Expressions
The Difference between Research and Evaluation
Data, Information and Evidence Defined
Empirical Evidence Explained
Quantitative vs Qualitative Data Explained
Four Definitions of Impact
Why Evaluation Terminology Keeps Differing
Two Definitions of Evaluation
The Value In Evaluation
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PLANNING FOR IMPACT
Why Measuring Outcomes Matters
Developing a Measurement Framework
Strategic Frameworks for Outcomes
Planning Your Entire Charity’s Work In Five Steps
A Simple Theory of Change
M&E Framework Templates
Swim Lane Map Example for M&E
Process Mapping Symbols
Ten Steps to Becoming an Impact-Driven Charity
UK Government Publications To Know
Eight Principles of Good Impact Practice
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COLLECTING DATA
Four Types of Outcomes you Need to Evaluate
Intermediate Outcomes Explained
Ways to Phrase Outcomes
Ten Impact Questions
Five Types of Data Every Charity Should Collect
What To Ask To Get the Data You Need
Examples of What Indicators to Use When
Staff Diversity Monitoring Data
Checklist for Reviewing Outcomes and Outcome Indicators
RAG Ratings Explained
The Arguments Against Targets
Problems With Relying On Targets
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UNDERSTANDING EVALUATION
Three Main Types of Evaluation
Three Purposes of Evaluation
Evaluation Norms
Types of Evaluation
Types of Evaluation by Time
Checklist to Assess Readiness For Evaluation
What To Include In An Evaluation Brief
Terms of Reference for an Evaluation
Five Most Common Evaluation Criteria
Examining the Evaluation Context
Checklist for a Quality Evaluation
Deliverables to Expect from an Evaluation
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KEY THINGS TO REMEMBER
Where To Share Your Evaluation
Five Things Never to Do in Impact Measurement
Interview Question Ideas for M&E Roles
Accessibility Considerations
Five Ways to Demonstrate Good Impact Practice to a Funder
Your impact journey
Who is this for?
Anyone who is working to achieve a social impact or who aspires to, needs to understand the practices of measuring the impact of this type of work.
Of course this includes anyone already working in the charity sector, but it also extends to people looking to break into the charity sector, or those who work in private businesses but who are responsible for going beyond profit.
This might include Corporate Social Responsibility; Equality, Diversity and Inclusion; and Envrionmental, Social and Governance criteria.
Even those already working as Monitoring and Evaluation specialists can use this is a handy reminder to refer to at any point.
Candidates for charity sector jobs
…need to demonstrate they understand the language and functions of charities and the role that impact plays.
Trustees
…need to establish the purpose of the charity and the desired long-term goals the charity is trying to reach. They also have a duty to ensure the charity has the resources in place it needs to be able to measure its impact.
CEOs and Directors
…need to ensure the charity is using its resources in a way that achieves the maximum possible impact and that the charity can demonstrate evidence of how this has been achieved.
Fundraisers
…need to demonstrate the impact of the charity’s work to supporters, donors, funders and potential funders.
Marketing and communications officers
…need to communicate the charity’s impact in a compelling and accessible way.
Finance workers
…need to ensure that resources are allocated to allow the charity to deliver its work in the most impactful way and be able to measure that impact.
Managers
…need to ensure their teams are measuring and improving their impact adequately.
Frontline workers and volunteers
…need to understand the impact their work makes and how they can make an even bigger impact.
CSR, ESG and EDI professionals in businesses
…need to demosntrate they understand the language and practices of measuring the impact of initiatives that go beyond simple profit-making.
FAQs
I already subscribe to the newsletter and get the free printables – isn’t this just the same thing?
Yes and no. The format is exactly the same with every concept explained simply on one page. So if you love the format of the free printables, then you’ll love this too. The book also contains some of the sample printables that are available for free on the website. But most of the book contains exclusive content that’s not available for free anywhere else.
There is already so much free information online on impact and evaluation for charities – how is this any different?
With so much information out there, it can be difficult to know where to start and what to trust. Another problem is that people don’t know what they don’t know – so it’s not even clear what information you should be looking for. This book is the result of years of my own efforts trawling through the information that’s out there, sorting out what is reliable and what you absolutely need to know. Let me save you the effort.
I am a trustee – do I really need this level of detail?
Possibly not. It depends on how active a role you play within the charity. But what’s for sure is that all trustees need a basic level of understanding of impact. In the UK, trustees have a legal duty to ensure the charity is carrying out its purposes for the public benefit. You can find full details of trustees’ obligations to impact measurement in the Charity Commission guidance. This book will give you that basic grounding and some more in case you do need to play a more hands-on role.
I don’t currently work in the charity sector but I would like to – is this still relevant to me?
Absolutely. If you don’t have previous experience working in the charity sector, then being able to demonstrate that you understand the language and practices will be even more important because you won’t have experience to rely on. Impact is (or should be) at the heart of everything charities do, so improving your knowledge in this area will serve you well whatever role you’re going for. You might even end up knowing more than your colleagues when you do get the job!
I am already a monitoring and evaluation professional – will this help me at all?
Yes. With so much information out there on an incredibly vast topic there is always new information to learned. But even if none of this is new to you, you still might find it helpful to have a document where you can refer to everything in one place – especially for processes and checklists. Our memories are never 100% reliable!
I already have monitoring and evaluation professionals in my team – do I really need this?
If you work in the charity and are relying on other colleagues to tell you what your impact is, you put yourself in a vulnerable position. Monitoring and evaluation professionals should be there to share advanced knowledge, bring consistency across the organisation and provide the extra time and support needed so frontline staff can focus more of theirs on the frontline. But everyone has responsibility for their own impact and should therefore have a basic understanding of the topic.
I'm not based in the UK - will this be useful still?
Some of the source material referenced and some of the tips are based on UK initiatives and organisations. The theory however which most of the printables are based on are relevant anywhere in the world and represent good practice regardless of the country you are operating from.
contact
Still have questions that you want to ask before you decide to buy? Drop me a message by emailing alexa.sage@charitysectorsuccess.co.uk and I’ll be happy to answer any questions you have.
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