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volunteers with canned goods

Impact & Measurement

We assess how a charity measures success and how well the charity’s program(s) performs relative to cost required to run it.

The Impact & Measurement beacon includes three evaluation areas: Measurement, Learning, and Impact. Scoring details and the evidence behind each metric are fully detailed in the Rating Methodology Guide.

Measurement

Investing in Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) training ensures staff can accurately collect and interpret data. We report whether the charity provides M&E training to its team.
A formal Monitoring and Evaluation structure ensures data review is a strategic organization-wide priority. We report if the charity uses a dedicated team or third party for evaluation.
Identifying participation barriers helps create more inclusive and equitable programs. We report if they charity collects data on the specific obstacles its constituents face in order to adjust their services as needed.
Using research to define a target population ensures programs are evidence-based and responsive. We report whether the charity utilizes data and stakeholder input to identify and understand it’s target population.

Collecting data at every stage allows for a full assessment of progress and impact. We report whether the charity utilizes baseline and endline data collection.

Systematic analysis transforms raw data into actionable strategies for improvement. We report whether the charity has established procedures for regular data analysis.

Learning

Leadership regularly uses information about the target population and service delivery to make program improvements over time. This commitment ensures that data driven insights are integrated into strategic decision making and organizational growth. Here, we report whether the charity indicates that its leadership or board regularly reviews monitoring and evaluation results.

Sharing results promotes transparency and builds trust with donors and beneficiaries. We report whether the charity communicates its findings to its stakeholders.

Disclosing both positive and negative results fosters honesty and transparent learning. We report whether the charity indicates that it shares its findings regardless of whether the results are favorable or unfavorable.

Using evaluation findings to refine services demonstrates a commitment to effectiveness. We report whether the charity indicates that it uses monitoring and evaluation to make improvements to its programs.

Collecting feedback from the people served allows charities to understand the direct impact of their work and identify unmet needs. We report whether or not an organization collects feedback. If they do not they are encouraged to reflect on obstacles in feedback collection to receive partial credit.

Acting on feedback helps organizations deepen their impact and improve service equity. We report how the charity uses feedback and if it employs advanced feedback practices.

Impact

An impact model provides a systematic framework for evaluating success by mapping the pathway from beneficiary reach to outcomes. We report the charity’s measurable outcomes alongside the specific costs required to achieve them.

High-quality data is essential ensures accuracy of a Charity’s impact model and outcome reporting. While data can be derived from guesses or estimates, the most reliable insights come from direct measurement. Here, we report on the quality of data collection methods to ensure transparency and rigor in our findings.
Cost per outcome quantifies the financial investment required to achieve a single successful result. We report whether these costs are categorized as reasonable, borderline, or unreasonable when benchmarked against peer organizations utilizing similar impact models for a specific success indicator.

This metric evaluates eligible charities on cost-effectiveness, rewarding those that achieve more good per dollar and guiding donors to high-impact giving opportunities. Given the diversity in cause areas and success metrics, our evaluation process is tailored to each program type. Here we report if a program is highly cost-effective, cost-effective or not cost-effective.

  • We collaborate with external partners to gather reliable data on programs and outcomes, enabling us to assess and score more organizations based on their cost-effectiveness.
  • We also partner with other trusted evaluators to leverage their rigorous evaluations as part of our Impact & Measurement assessments.
  • When data is provided from external sources, we provide credit and cite the source.

Find Impactful Charities

Discover charities rated on Impact & Measurement. Find a new and exciting giving opportunity.

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