Mapping social impact, assessing contribution and Sense-Making
MDF Training & Consultancy applies and adapts a combination of sound and proven utility-focused evaluation methods that are geared towards learning from social impact and fit the complexity of social change. We offer to demonstrate how the pathway of change towards impact unfolds in reality and what the significance of your intervention (project, programme or policy) has been in this.
Our work offers you a reflection on your Theory of Change inspired by a variety of methods like: Outcome Mapping / Harvesting, Most Significant Change, Collective Impact Approach and Time-line Analysis. Through this you will gain clear insight into the expected and unexpected forms of social change that occurred well beyond your efforts and control. But mapping actual social impact is only the first step.
Discovering the significance of your interventions is the next and essential step in creating insights on improving your contribution in the future. Methods like Contribution Analysis, Process Tracing and Collaborative Outcome Reporting are used to find the contribution linkages that connect social impact to your interventions.
Finding these contribution linkages is challenging and can often be disputed. MDF Training & Consultancy therefore adds a third methodological step of joint Sense-Making. We believe that the participation of key stakeholders in a clear and transparent process that includes joint Sense-Making on how pathways of change unfold can provide satisfactory answers to any disputes that may arise.
This method is specifically applied to analysing evaluation findings from different perspectives and to help deepen understanding and internalise learning from the evaluation. When empowered with clarity and agreement on the process and a set of tools fitting the nature of the intervention, compelling evidence can be found to confirm or refute the hypothetical link between tangible deliverables and desired long-term results.
We can work with you to translate the evaluation findings into actionable measures that will empower you to make an even greater effort towards social impact.
