Charities given boost to measure outcomes thanks to The National Lottery

Small and medium-sized charities, community groups and voluntary organisations will now be able to access free support when it comes to monitoring and measuring their impact. The National Lottery Community Fund has today launched a new index tool of existing outcome frameworks and indicators as an open resource for the sector.

The move is expected to particularly benefit smaller organisations that often find seeking out the most relevant outcome frameworks and measures challenging – it will mean they don’t have to start from scratch.

Compiled by Social Value UK, the tool puts the most popular and relevant outcome frameworks and standalone measures around social issues including employment, mental health and homelessness, all in one place – making it accessible and easy to use. Outcome frameworks are useful as they provide consistency in impact measurement, while standalone measures provide information on how much of an outcome has happened or is expected to happen.

The National Lottery Community Fund has also published a guide to accompany the tool, providing information on the methodology used to compile the list, the rationale for inclusion of outcome frameworks and standalone measures, and an explanation of the data fields.

The new tool is a key part of The National Lottery Community Fund’s commitment to enabling civil society to be fit for the future – supporting organisations and the voluntary sector to create opportunities to help local communities thrive. The Fund values evidence of all kinds and aims to help charities and community organisations to improve their ability to capture, process, use and share data and evidence that is meaningful and insightful.

Joe Ferns, Director of Knowledge and Learning at The National Lottery Community Fund, said: “Thanks to National Lottery players this new tool will help smaller charities and community groups easily find and use relevant outcome frameworks to measure their impact. By using the tool, and the frameworks and measures within it, civil society organisations can better understand how they help people and communities to thrive, and better share their insights with the wider sector.”

To find out more visit www.TNLCommunityFund.org.uk