Demonstrating impact

Demonstrating impact is about showing other people what your organisation and your development have achieved. The focus here is outward looking, emphasising what you should do to shout about your successes.

Case studies are an excellent way of highlighting success. Just as a picture tells a thousand words a vivid story is more powerful than a page of dry statistics. Talk to people who have benefitted from the work of your organisation and find out what differences it has made for them.

Collecting a few of these stories is a powerful way of communicating impact to partners and funders. It brings the focus back to people, the heart of any development or organisation.

When demonstrating impact, presentation is crucial. Think about innovative and creative ways to show your success. Written reports and booklets have their place but new media opens up a range of eye-catching and cost effective alternatives.

Websites are now the first port of call for people who want to learn about your organisation and development. Make sure it is easy to use and clear to follow. Include multimedia like videos on the site to bring your organisation to life.

Make full use of your resources and networks. High-quality videos can now be made relatively cheaply. You are very likely to be in contact with someone who can help. User-led content is more powerful and it enables people to build up their experience.

Highlighting success should be integral to your work, not just an add-on. When planning a project think about how you can leverage publicity opportunities, always ensuring service delivery is not compromised.

Try not to overcomplicate. Only adopt a strategy if it is useful given your circumstances and resources. Avoid going through the motions and do not be afraid to do something different to stand out from the crowd.