My Approach to Maximising and Measuring Impact

My approach to supporting organisations in maximising and measuring impact is informed by my values: Hope & Positivity; Curiosity & Creativity; Social Justice & Responsibility; Diversity, Equity & Radical Inclusion; Relationships, Collaboration & Co-Creation and Transparency, Integrity & Accountability.

My approach to maximizing and measuring impact is:

Needs-Based and Adaptive – In collaboration with key stakeholders, I carefully establish the needs of the civil society organization and develop a plan for how I can help them to ensure my support is as impactful as possible. If any needs change during my involvement, I carefully adapt my plans to reflect them.

Co-Creation and Participatory Design – I use co-creation and participatory design to help ensure that all stakeholders can engage with all aspects of the planning and implementation of the initiatives aiming at maximizing and measuring the impact of the civil society organization.

Intentional, Active and Meaningful Participation and Engagement - I believe that all participation and engagement must be intentional, active and meaningful. Intentional means making deliberate choices and taking deliberate actions to ensure that everyone is included in all activities. Meaningful and active participation and engagement mean that everyone has equitable opportunities to contribute their lived experiences, thoughts, views, ideas and skills, to influence discussions and decision-making regarding how to maximise and measure impact. I also believe that any initiative should not be done for people but with people through collaborative approaches and processes that fully value their participation and engagement. Therefore, listening actively and carefully to participants and truly valuing all their contributions are key to my work.

Radical Inclusion - Inclusion means creating spaces where everyone feels welcome, respected, valued and supported in participating actively and meaningfully. To me radical inclusion means proactively identifying who is excluded from active and meaningful participation and what the obstacles and barriers to their inclusion are. It also means actively engaging with those that are excluded and carefully and actively listening to their concerns and ideas about how their inclusion can be secured and then making the changes needed to dismantle the obstacles and barriers. It basically requires shifting the focus from changing the individual to fit into the process or system to changing the process or system to accommodate and value every individual. This is essential for maximizing and properly measuring impact.

Curious and Creative - I value curiosity, because it encourages me to be open-minded, to explore diverse perspectives and to embrace complexity, when I measure and maximise impact. I use creativity to think outside the box and develop new ways to effectively address complex problems and bring about positive change. I also use creativity to present complex findings in alternative ways that are easy to understand and action.

Research Informed – I always use the latest research to inform the ways I maximise and measure impact. If existing research is insufficient, I conduct my own primary research such as surveys, interviews or focus groups.

Hopeful and Positive – I utilise a strength-based approach that identifies and builds on what is already known to be working well. This means identifying promising practices and critically reflecting on how they can be applied in different contexts.

Using a Critical Intersectional Lens – I apply a critical lens to highlight how intersectional identities such as gender, religion and ethnicity affect people’ lived-experiences especially concerning the impact of systemic inequalities and agency.

Promoting Social- Justice and Responsibility – I am committed to developing impact that help develop fair and just communities, where everyone has equitable access to fundamental rights, opportunities and resources, is treated with respect, empathy, fairness and dignity and feels valued and a sense of belonging. I believe we are all responsible for developing such communities and for addressing any obstacles and barriers that hinder this vital development. I will always reflect this social responsibility in the impact I help develop.

Based on Transparency, Integrity and Accountability – I always ensure that objectives, scope, methodology, outputs and expectations are carefully and clearly negotiated and agreed on before I commence on supporting civil society organisations. I also proactively share information about how the project is progressing and any obstacles I encounter with relevant stakeholders. In addition, I also always adhere to the highest ethical standards including maintaining confidentiality and protecting participants’ safety, privacy and dignity. Finally, I always strive to deliver what has been agreed on time.