Output or outcome?

One of the main opportunities that I see for charities and businesses alike, is to communicate the outcomes of what they are doing and how it leads to positive change.

Typically, we hear about activities or outputs such as the number of workshops held, the number of participants who attended, or how much money was raised at an event. This can be valuable from a reach perspective as it provides an insight into your inputs and engagement levels however, it doesn’t communicate the juicy part - positive change.

Impact is about understanding the change or outcome as a result of your activity. For example, if you decided to read one book a week for a year, you could say ‘I read 52 books this year - yay me!’ or you could write about what has changed for you by reading 52 books this year. It is much more compelling to hear about what you have learned, and hated, and what your favourite books were.

These rich, compelling insights are the outcomes, and when you are working collaboratively with communities the changes you are observing are proof points that positive change is happening. Plus, it’s super inspiring too and I reckon we need more true tales of transformation!

I am looking forward to sharing more transformative changes that we come across in our mahi.