Many organizations spend a great deal of time and resources defining their mission. Without a concrete plan for measuring that vision’s impact, the enthusiasm and motivation to enact it can quickly fizzle out.

For mission-driven organizations, providing proof of the impact of initiatives is vital to the continued execution of their work—funding, effort, reputations, and the fate of future support are often at stake. Investors, boards, executives, communities, and other stakeholders want to be assured that their efforts are making a difference. Mere claims about generalized impact are no longer acceptable; the evidence is required.

Measuring impact means finding a way to determine whether your organization is accomplishing long-term, lofty, and often subjective goals such as “increase a feeling of inclusivity in a community” or “improve the overall well-being of children.”

In this white paper, we break down what is impact and why it is important, provide examples of outcomes versus impacts, and walk you through creating an impact opportunity statement to use as a comprehensive evaluation tool to ensure that the projects your organization creates consistently reach their full potential, as defined by your mission.