Measuring impact on a small budget
You do not need an evaluator to know whether your work is making a difference. Pick a few things to count, define them, collect them regularly and report them honestly.
Small enterprises often feel that impact measurement is for large organisations with research teams. It does not have to be. A few well-chosen numbers, collected regularly and reported honestly, will tell you more than a long report written once a year. Funders, buyers and investors notice the difference.
Start with what you would act on
Ask yourself: what would I do differently if I knew this? If the answer is nothing, do not measure it. Choose three to five things, and no more, that tell you whether your main outcomes are happening. If you have drafted a theory of change, take them from there.
Know the difference between outputs and outcomes
Outputs are what you deliver: sessions run, products sold, people trained. Outcomes are what changes because of it: skills used, income raised, children in school. Outputs are easier to count and you should count them. But only outcomes tell you whether the work matters, so make sure at least one of your numbers is an outcome.
Write a definition for every number
Before you count anything, write one sentence saying exactly what is included. “Women trained” could mean women who signed up, who attended once, or who finished the course. Pick one and stick to it. This is the same rule SIA applies to its own headline figures, explained in Why every SIA number now has a definition. It stops your numbers from drifting depending on who is asking.
Take a baseline
Record where people start: their income, their skills, how many customers they have. Without a starting point, you cannot show change. A baseline can be three questions asked at registration. It does not need to be long, but it does need to be the same questions you will ask later.
Use the tools you already have
- Registration forms: add two or three baseline questions to the form people already fill in.
- Phone calls: ten short calls a month to customers or participants, with the same five questions each time, give you a steady stream of evidence.
- WhatsApp: a voice note or a quick poll reaches people who will never fill in a form.
- Free survey tools: Google Forms works on any phone with internet; KoboToolbox can also collect answers offline.
- Your sales records: repeat customers, average order size and areas you sell to are impact data for many enterprises.
Follow up after time has passed
Change takes time to show. Many outcomes, such as whether people still use a skill or whether a business is still running, only become clear months later. SIA checks behaviour change six months after training for this reason. Put a reminder in your calendar and call a sample of past participants or customers. Even ten conversations will teach you something.
Ask permission and protect people
Tell people why you are asking, how the answers will be used and that they can say no. Keep names and phone numbers separate from the answers where you can, and store them safely. Never publish a name, a photo or a story without written consent. Good practice here protects the people you serve, and it protects your reputation.
Report what you find, including the bad news
Put the numbers somewhere people can see them, with the definition and the date: a page on your website, a slide for funders, a short note to your team each quarter. If something is not working, say so and say what you are changing. Funders and investors trust organisations that show their misses far more than those that only show their wins.
A one-page plan to copy
| What to decide | Example |
|---|---|
| Outcome | Women we train sell outside their own street |
| Indicator | Share of trained women with at least one buyer outside their street |
| Definition | Women who completed all sessions; a buyer counts if they paid in the last 3 months |
| Source | Phone call with the same 5 questions |
| When | At the end of training, then after 6 months |
| Who | Programme officer, 10 calls a month |
SIA’s own approach is set out on How we measure, and its figures, each with a definition, a source and a date, are on the Live Impact Dashboard.
Start small. One outcome measured well this quarter is worth more than ten measured badly, and you can add more once the habit is in place.
