Managing knowledge properly in your organisation or your project is an absolute necessity. It informs your strategy and your operations.

It's not about collecting data and letting it sleep in filing cabinets. It's alive and should serve your purpose. Use the questions below to get started in measuring your impact and managing knowledge, internally, externally, and strategically.

In this frame, we use our own indicators: impact, confidence, learning, connectedness, viability, visibility. We found out that these elements are underpinning all projects working towards sustainble development. The next step for you is to identify your own indicators.

Email us if you need help in a specific area |  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  | Topic: measuring social impact.

- What issue do you tackle?
- Why is this important?
- How do you know you are currently creating a social impact?
- How do you measure your social impact?
- What are your own quality standards
- What obstacles have you overcome to get where you are now?
- How did you maximise your opportunities?
- How do you help other people to be recognised for the work they do?

Social Impact = the difference or change made as a result of the person carrying out their work.

Needs to include:
- A clearly defined need or starting point
- Understanding of the complexity of what is needed to achieve a change and what role/part is to be undertaken/addressed
- Specific activities that trigger a change
- Evidence of the change/s that have occurred
- Evidence of the contribution to those changes

Connectedness and collaboration = the way in which people interact and build relationships to achieve mutual goals

Needs to include:
- Identification of people/organisations that have mutual goals
- Activities to meet with relevant people/organisations
- Activities to effectively engage with relevant people/organisations
- Evidence of how relationships have been built to progress work or enhance impact
- Evidence of change that has occurred as a result of people coming together

Growth in Confidence = capacity to overcome obstacles and gain assurance

Needs to include:
- specific obstacles faced in career/life/organisation
- insights gained through these obstacles
- measures put in place to overcome obstacles or setbacks
- selection of quality standards
- types of associations with other professionals/organisations to reinforce confidence and credentials.

Visibility = how and where people bring their message accross

Needs to include:
- evidence of media and social media platforms used to spread the message
- what strategies do people use to promote their cause to wider or expert audiences

Sense of learning = the way people make use of reflection and inspiration for themselves and others

Needs to include:
- evidence of continuous professional and self-development
- how the knowledge acquired helps them move their organisation forward
- activities to show how learning is cascaded inside and outside their organisation
- evidence of methods used to enable other people to learn and grow
 
Viability = capacity for living, developing, or germinating under favorable conditions

Needs to include 
- evidence of source of funding, revenue generation, investment or genuine expressions of interest
- clear identification of deliverables to generate income
- evidence of how your resources management creates value (pound value, resource value, marketing value)
- how you intend to invest/ spend the funds in coming period
- evidence of methods used to swap, barter, grow resources