DPI Rapid Review

Best practices for social impact measurement (SIM)

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Beyond Good Intentions:

A Practical Guide to Measuring What Matters in Social Service

How do you know if your programs are truly making a difference? For social service organizations and their funders, this question has never been more pressing—or more answerable.

August 2025

Social service organizations across British Columbia and beyond are facing an increasingly familiar challenge: demonstrating that their work creates real, lasting change for the communities they serve. While the demand for accountability has grown, so too has the sophistication of tools and approaches available to meet this challenge effectively.

The Current Landscape: More Than Just Compliance

Gone are the days when measuring social impact was simply about counting participants or tracking dollars spent. Today's social impact measurement (SIM) serves a dual purpose that reflects the complexity of modern social service delivery:

Proving Impact:  Meeting accountability requirements for funders and beneficiaries who want evidence to show that resources are being used effectively.

Improving Performance:  Generating insights that help organizations understand what works, what doesn't, and how to adapt their approaches for greater effectiveness.

This dual accountability creates both opportunity and tension. Organizations that master this balance don't just satisfy reporting requirements—they become learning organizations capable of continuous quality improvement and greater impact.

Social Impact Measurement Implementation Roadmap

A comprehensive 7-step guide to effectively measure and demonstrate social impact. Click on each step to explore detailed guidance and key activities.

1
Clarify Mission & Define Impact
Articulate your organization's core mission and define intended social changes
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Foundation Setting

Begin by articulating your organization's core mission and values. In dialogue with your primary partners and service communities, clearly define what positive social, environmental, and economic changes you intend to achieve.

Key Activities:

  • Develop a Theory of Change or logic model that outlines pathways from inputs to impacts
  • Conduct internal and external workshops to gather feedback on SIM purpose
  • Establish a governance structure for measurement activities
  • Map connections between activities, outputs, outcomes, and long-term impacts
2
Engage All Relevant Parties
Involve stakeholders throughout the measurement process from design to validation
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Stakeholder Involvement

Identify all groups who affect or are affected by your work, including service users and beneficiaries, staff, community members, and funders. Involve them actively throughout the measurement process.

Key Activities:

  • Conduct a partner and community mapping exercise
  • Co-design meaningful indicators with stakeholder input
  • Establish ongoing dialogue channels for feedback
  • Plan participatory approaches for validating results
3
Select Measurement Methods
Choose appropriate measurement approaches that fit your context and resources
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Method Selection

Based on your defined impact and stakeholder feedback, choose measurement approaches that fit your organizational context, resources, and the nature of your intervention. Consider employing mixed-methods approaches.

Key Activities:

  • Assess your organizational capacity and available resources
  • Combine quantitative indicators (reach, utilization) with qualitative methods (interviews, case studies)
  • Consider using or adapting Sustainable Development Goals indicators for comparability
  • Evaluate comprehensive frameworks like SROI if appropriate for your context
4
Establish Data Systems
Create robust data collection and management systems integrated into operations
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Infrastructure Development

Strive to make data collection a routine and integrated part of your operations. Leverage existing administrative and operational data where possible and standardize systems for accessibility.

Key Activities:

  • Standardize spreadsheets, online forms, or other data storage systems
  • Integrate data collection routines into daily operations
  • Establish protocols for longitudinal data collection for long-term impacts
  • Regularly review collected data to ensure utility and relevance
5
Analyze & Interpret Results
Systematically assess impact achievement and investigate unintended effects
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Data Analysis

Systematically assess whether the intended impact is being achieved as expected, and investigate any unintended effects. Consider contributing factors using contribution pathway thinking.

Key Activities:

  • Account for deadweight (what would have happened anyway) and displacement effects
  • Consider attribution - contributions from other organizations or factors
  • Document both intended and unintended effects comprehensively
  • Use contribution analysis frameworks to understand mechanisms of change
6
Report & Communicate
Share findings transparently with all stakeholders in accessible formats
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Transparent Reporting

Share your impact assessments with all relevant partners and communities in clear, accessible, and comprehensible formats. Be transparent about your methodologies, findings, and any challenges encountered.

Key Activities:

  • Create accessible reports using clear language and visual aids
  • Be transparent about methodologies, findings, and challenges
  • Share results with all stakeholder groups, not just funders
  • Enable feedback and participation in program improvement
7
Build Capacity
Invest in organizational capacity for sustainable impact measurement
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Continuous Investment

Continuously assess and invest in your organization's capacity to conduct impact measurement. This collaborative investment is key to enhancing the overall quality and consistency of SIM across the sector.

Key Activities:

  • Provide staff training in measurement methods and data analysis
  • Connect with external expertise through academic institutions or consultants
  • Allocate sufficient time and financial resources for dedicated measurement activities
  • Advocate for funder and government support in capacity building initiatives

The Role of Funders: From Mandate to Partnership

One of the most significant findings from recent research literature includes the critical role that funders play in enabling—or hindering—effective impact measurement. Traditional approaches that simply mandate reporting without providing support often lead to compliance-focused activities that generate little real learning.

Forward-thinking funders are shifting toward a partnership model that:

  • Invests in organizational capacity for measurement rather than just requiring it
  • Supports adaptive approaches that serve both accountability and learning needs
  • Values transparency and learning over perfect performance metrics
  • Recognizes context rather than imposing universal standard

 

Are You Curious What Your SIM Capacity Might Be?

The short quiz below acts as a tool for quickly assessing where your journey towards meaningful SIM might start.  At the end of the quiz, some helpful considerations are offered for taking your next steps.

Social Impact Measurement Readiness Calculator

Discover your organization's current capacity for measuring social impact and receive personalized recommendations for your next steps.

Question 1 of 8

How clearly has your organization defined its social impact goals?

This relates to having a clear Theory of Change or logic model that connects your activities to intended outcomes.

How actively do you engage stakeholders in your measurement planning?

This includes service users, community members, staff, funders, and other affected parties.

What is your organization's current experience with data collection?

Consider both quantitative data (numbers, statistics) and qualitative data (interviews, stories, observations).

How would you describe your team's skills in impact measurement?

Think about data analysis, evaluation methods, and understanding of social impact concepts.

What resources can your organization dedicate to impact measurement?

Consider both financial resources and staff time for measurement activities.

How would you rate your organization's data management capabilities?

Think about your ability to store, organize, and analyze data effectively.

How experienced is your organization with impact reporting?

Consider both formal reporting to funders and communication to the wider community.

How committed is your organization's leadership to impact measurement?

Consider board, senior management, and organizational culture support for measurement activities.
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Getting Started
Your organization is beginning its impact measurement journey.

Looking Ahead: Practical Next Steps

For social service organizations, the message is clear: start where you are, but start now. Effective impact measurement doesn't require sophisticated systems or large budgets—it requires clarity about purpose, commitment to engagement with partners and communities, and willingness to learn from both successes and setbacks.

For government representatives and funders, the opportunity is equally clear: by investing in the measurement capacity of the organizations you support, you're not just improving accountability—you're strengthening the entire social service sector's ability to create meaningful change.

The field of social impact measurement continues to evolve, but the fundamentals are well-established. Organizations that embrace these principles today will be better positioned to demonstrate their value, improve their effectiveness, and ultimately create the positive change that motivated their work in the first place.

Ready to strengthen your impact measurement approach? The journey from good intentions to measurable impact starts with a single step—defining what success looks like for your organization and the communities you serve.  

This article draws from a rapid scoping review and synthesis of current best practices in social impact measurement by DPI. For more details on frameworks, implementation guidance, and research findings, access the full report below.

 

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