Numbers & Stories Part 1: Drive your story with data

The goal of the Impact report is to showcase an organization's purpose and commitment to creating positive change in the world. However, in today's savvy and discerning world, readers crave authenticity and meaningful reporting rather than being subjected to another marketing exercise. To create an impact report that delivers meaning, we will need to go beyond the surface-level numbers and build a strong narrative. 

This blog is first in a two-part mini-series on how to make the most of numbers and narrative, and how to use them together. 

In this blog post, we will explore how you can leverage numbers in an authentic way that drives your story forward, helps you connect with your reader, and avoid some common pitfalls of impact washing. 

Go beyond scope & scale to acknowledge that our intention may not always be our impact. 

When you look at traditional impact reports, you'll notice a common trend: they predominantly focus on scope and scale, meaning they highlight things we can count, like the amount an organization has donated or the number of volunteer hours contributed. While these figures may be impressive and eye-catching, they provide limited learning opportunities. In fact, some are even starting to dismiss them all together as vanity metrics.

No matter how pure our intentions, we cannot assume that they will translate to impact. Sure, total dollars donated and hours spent on initiatives may be flashy numbers that make us feel good, but they don’t really represent us or our work. These numbers only hint at potential impact, not real results. So as you are preparing your impact reporting, include metrics that demonstrate outcomes and impact, that answer the questions “so what?” or “what now?”.  But moving beyond scope and scale can be daunting and difficult for a number of reasons.

 

Impact is a change in an outcome caused by an organization. An impact can be positive or negative, intended or unintended” — Impact Frontiers, 5 Dimensions of Impact

What might it look like to report beyond scope & scale?

  • Percent of revenue donated to a specific cause

  • Commitments or pledges and your progress

  • Percentage of employees that participated in employee volunteerism. And if/how it contributed to their work-life satisfaction or sentiments?

  • Who is your program reaching - have you reached traditionally marginalized groups? Who is your target population?

  • Is your mission/purpose showing up in the metrics that you’re reporting? Can you show any progress towards it?

  • Social and environmental change doesn’t happen on the clock of quarterly business reviews, or short-term grant cycles. Social and environmental changes can take years to materialize. It's crucial to acknowledge this reality in our reports. In addition to waiting for long-term outcomes, we can look for shorter-term indicators of progress. For example, a metric like student attendance can serve as a potential predictor of academic performance.

  • Environmental and social changes are not brought about by a single actor; they are systemic, dynamic, and complex. When we acknowledge and name partners and allies in our efforts we both foster goodwill and demonstrate our strategic process.

  • How do we even assess impact? Or measure it? Is it measurable? The goals of our programs can seem unquantifiable. Seeking support from experts in the Measurement & Evaluation field or related applied research areas can help define impact and establish effective monitoring systems. Organizations like Global Reporting Initiative are creating standards and frameworks to help organizations understand and report on their impacts. 


Showcase your commitment and strategy by reporting over time

After a few years of impact reporting you can start reporting year/year on a few choice metrics. This is a great way to show your commitment to strategy, how it’s playing out and where it’s being successful.  While reporting over time signals dedication, intentionality and transparency, this can make reporting teams nervous - how will the investors and stakeholders respond if our numbers are going down? This is a great opportunity to connect the reader back to your strategy, and remember, progress isn’t linear.

 

In their 2023 report, New Relic shows change over time and calls out opportunities for improvement, demonstrating their commitment to their goals.

Progress isn’t linear - Lean into your learnings

As discussed, at some point you will likely need to show some places where things aren’t working out as planned - the journey to social change isn’t linear. My advice is here to lean into your learnings and how these changes have or will inform adjustments in strategy and programs. While it can feel scary, discussing learnings as well as successes will showcase that your organization is strategic, transparent and committed to positive change.

Additionally, no social change endeavor can be done alone, and sharing learnings has the potential to upskill the entire ecosystem. An organization can approach this as a thought leader, and lead a conversation about what is working and what is not. A win for the brand and the cause!

 

About the authors

Morgan Buras-Finlay is founder and principle of Raya Cooper Impact Consulting. She is a seasoned and holistic social impact professional, helping organizations leverage the science of measurement and the art of storytelling to scale meaningful change. She is an active member of the American Evaluation Association, and serves on the Foundation & Nonprofit group and Social Impact Measurement group. She holds a Masters from Columbia University and a Bachelors from Reed College, and is an alumna of Salesforce and Mission Economic Development Agency. She is based in San Francisco, where she lives with her husband, their young daughter and many (maybe too many) house plants.

 

Leyla Farah has focused on the intersection of technology, innovation and storytelling for the better part of 20 years. She has a knack for finding human stories in data, and using those stories to help bring ambitious visions of the future to life. Leyla is the founder Narrative Arc, a consulting firm that provides storytelling and narrative strategy support for nonprofit organizations. She is also a Trustee for the University of Oregon Foundation, she sits on the advisory council for the University of Oregon's Honors College, is a guest speaker at New York University, and is an alumna of PlanetOut, SYPartners, Oracle, and Salesforce. She is based in Los Angeles, where she lives with her wife, their young daughter, and a dog named Beau.

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Numbers & Stories Part 2: Use 3 types of stories to shape your impact report

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The importance of tying it all together