When pitching your project, explaining the lasting change it will bring to your beneficiaries, the local community and your organisation is key.
Some important definitions to get familiar with
Beneficiaries – the people you are helping. Primary beneficiaries are those that directly benefit from your work. Since you work closely with them they should be easy to count and describe. Secondary beneficiaries are not directly connected with your project, but still benefit from it (e.g. members of the community or family members of the participants).
In your project, focus on your primary beneficiaries. Mention the secondary beneficiaries to show the wider impact.
If the environment is a beneficiary of your project, you can describe how your work improves the local ecosystem, habitat, or natural resources. Quantifying environmental impact may involve metrics like acres of land restored, trees planted, or species protected.
Outputs – the numbers achieved as a result of the activities you have delivered (e.g. the number of people you have worked with in a year, number of sessions delivered, meal served, tree planted, people housed, etc ).
Outcomes – the changes (positive or negative) that occur as a result of your work, this is what is experienced by the people you’re helping. For example, an outcome for a job training program could be that 80% of participants secure employment within 3 months of completing the program
Impact – the broader change that occurs as a result of your work. If you are doing a good job this should align to your organisation’s mission.
For example, an impact of a job training program could be reduced unemployment rates in the community or increased economic security for families of those employed.
How to present the expected impact of your project
➜ Go beyond your activities activities
Many non-profits tend to focus on their outputs and activities. These sit in the pitch section of your project, where you’ll explain what problem you are working to tackle and how.
Funders need to hear about the outcomes and impacts of your project. This means communicating the change you are hoping for as a result of your interaction with your beneficiaries.
Having a mix of outcomes and impact in this section is ideal.
➜ Spotlight your beneficiaries
Who will benefit from your project and how?
Be specific with who your beneficiaries are rather than vague references to the community.
Tip: use the provided list of beneficiaries on ActionFunder
Specify how the project will tangibly improve the lives of the people you work with. For example, explain how a job training program will help unemployed youth gain skills to increase income. Or how a food pantry will provide regular nutritious meals to relieve food insecurity for low-income families. The more you convey measurable outcomes for real individuals, the stronger case you make that your project deserves funding.
If your project’s beneficiary is the environment, then explain how the project will lead to positive environmental changes, such as decreasing pollution, improving natural habitats, or promoting sustainability.
➜ Highlight the long term impact on your organisation
When applying for funding, explain how the project will positively impact both the beneficiaries in the community and your organisation. Discussing benefits to your organisation is key. Explain how the project will improve your operations, programs, services and capacity. This demonstrates that the funding will enable your non-profit to advance its mission and do even more good work. Show how the project will strengthen your non-profit for future durability and success.
➜ Back up good stories with facts and figures
Quantitative data is the numerical stats you collect. Make sure to quantify as best you can the outputs of your project. For instance, “we expect 50% of the people on our training programme to find a job in the next 6 months”.
Impact checklist:
- Who benefits from my project?
- What are the tangible benefits of my project on my beneficiaries?
- What long term benefits does my project bring them?
- How does my project impact the running of my organisation?
- Do I have data/numbers to back up my claims?
Going forward
You need to make sure you are measuring and reporting your activities, outputs and outcomes. The data you collect will help you understand how your projects are to reach your organisation’s goals and back up your work for future applications!
➜ Review your current monitoring and evaluation process
Are you collecting the right information? Set clear, measurable goals and objectives. Identify specific indicators that align with your mission to track progress.
You may need to make some small tweaks to your current process, such as adding a few new questions to the evaluation forms you use.
➜ Involve your team and beneficiaries in monitoring the process
Make sure that the people supplying the data and those collecting it are happy with how the system works. This will ensure that you’ve got the right system in place and make it easier and more enjoyable for them.
➜ Make sure to collect quantitative and qualitative data
Quantitative data is the numerical stats you collect (e.g. how many people use your services or how many people reported feeling happier after visiting you).
Qualitative data is the testimonials and case studies you collect (e.g. the story of one of your participants, including their experience and opinion of your work). Using both of these will help you tell a more compelling story by appealing to people’s hearts and minds.
You can run surveys, interviews, focus groups, etc.
➜ Shout about your impact!
This information is vital to funders, however it is also of interest to your staff, volunteers, service users and the public. Present your impact in an interesting and engaging way, make sure it is easily accessible and take every opportunity to shout about what you’ve achieved!
On ActionFunder, you can post updates on your project directly from your dashboard. They are shared with funders and you can use them on your social media and more!