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Measuring impact
Measuring impact
Impact is real-world change—positive or negative—in the status quo as a result of our collective intervention. How is your project a public benefit — and how will you measure it?
Underlying our activities is our theory of change, which helps us measure our impact. In 2019, City Bureau refined its theory of change and logic models for programs including the Documenters Network. The result was 12 outcomes that show how power is applied within and through programs in service of our mission. These are the big outcomes we hope our work creates, we call them our impact pillars:
Civic Knowledge
Generative Relationships
Information Economy Skills
Opportunities
These outcomes are measured by qualitative and quantitative data routinely collected from network members: anecdotal data is gathered through an impact tracker submission form, quantitative data is gathered automatically through the Documenters.org platform, and Documenters evaluate their own outcomes in an automated, longitudinal survey.
In our experience, measuring impact becomes a lot easier with centralized, automated hubs for program data; Airtable is an excellent tool that we use for this purpose. Airtable helps us map relationships between program sites, participants, training sessions and assignments. Each network member has their own Airtable metrics dashboard that continuously updates and displays program outputs.
—Remembering why we do this work is as important as building models for the future of local media. That’s why City Bureau’s first Impact Report begins with a story—a historical guiding star from our home on Chicago’s South Side—the story of the Pullman Porters.
—This framework is based on a portion of Resolve’s impact tracking both as an organization and the impact our journalism has on the communities we cover. This is a specific adaptation that focuses on tracking impact and activities that are connected to publication/production in our journalistic work.
—Would you like to feel confident when reading and using data? Then these courses are for you. Designed to take you from novice to Data Fluency, you will learn to confidently interpret and work with data both in your everyday and working life.
Checklist: Matching Metrics to Mission
Checklist: Matching Metrics to Mission
Think of positive impact as "mission moments"—ways in which your project or program is upholding your values and vision. This isn't just quantitative data like the number of event attendees, but also the qualitative data, for example, an email from an event attendee describing how a friendship made at your event led to the start of a bookclub.
Step 1: Look at the outcomes you identified when crafting your mission statement, and name ways to measure your progress toward each with numbers and stories.
Step 2: Commit to a regular process for collecting that information.
Collection can be passive such as:
Automated spreadsheet tracking applicant demographics, number of assignments, amount of money paid out, number of times Documenters engage on the message board
Collection can be active such as:
Surveying program participants
Interviewing program participants
Impact Tracker submission form to gather stories
Step 3: Make data-informed decisions when developing programmatic outreach and activities
Step 4: Publish and publicize what you learned, even if it’s not where you want to be.
Step 5: Celebrate wins!
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