Use Impact Management to create real added value.

Changetrackers supports you in evidence-based planning, monitoring, improving and communicating the social impact of your projects.

Because facts and stories can back up your gut feeling. And because your human and financial resources deserve to be used effectively.

Impact Management by Nora Julien

Who is
Impact Management for?

Social Enterprises and Impact Companies

View case example ->

Non-profit Organisations (NPOs)

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Foundations

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Public administration entities

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Assuming social and ecological responsibility and creating real social value is a must for many companies today.

How do we prove that we are meeting these requirements while being mindful of our current resources?

Despite your increased awareness and great commitment, you may find that your internal resources are often insufficient for effective impact management.

Changetrackers is committed to providing you with targeted support throughout all stages of impact management, ensuring that your resources achieve the best possible results. My approach is pragmatic, thoughtful, and focused on the long-term.

  • Do you need to report the social impact of your project or secure funding for the next phase?
  • Would you like to gain a deeper understanding of the factors that contribute to the success or failure of your projects? And would you rather rely on factual evidence rather than intuition, to develop effective strategies and achieve your goals with confidence?
  • Would you like to work together with your team to ensure that your daily activities are in line with your goals? And do your team members have a shared understanding of what those goals are?
Yes, show me how

How does
Impact Management work?

Planning impact

  1. Understand challenges and needs
  2. Set objectives and define impact goals
  3. Develop impact logic and impact model (e.g. Theory of Change/ IOOI / Impact Matrix)

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Reviewing impact

  1. Develop indicators
  2. Plan data collection
  3. Collect the data / gather information
  4. Analyse the data / evaluate information

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Improving impact

  1. Promote a constructive culture of failure
  2. Regularly reflect on what worked, what did not and why
  3. Revise & adapt the ToC, assumptions, activities, impact logic, logframes, matrix, etc.
  4. Discontinue the project completely if necessary

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Communicating impact & findings

  1. Define addressees, goals, content, timing, formats
  2. Communicate impact, with transparency and credibility
  3. Share the findings both internally and externally using reports, factsheets, websites, videos, workshops, etc.

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Case examples:
How Impact Management can make a difference.

How Changetrackers supports the company

Through the development of a comprehensive impact management and a convincing sales deck.

  1. We jointly develop a coherent impact model (Theory of Change) that is aligned with the company’s activities, mission and vision. By doing so, we create both internal and external clarity needed for strategy development and for communication about the desired impact.
  2. Together with the team, we develop clear indicators that help measure the intended changes and prepare the plan for data collection to verify the achievement of objectives – a bit like to financial controlling.
  3. We achieve our intermediate collaboration goal by preparing the sales presentation which demonstrates how B2B customers can contribute to social impact through purchasing the company’s offer while at the same time improving their sustainability / ESG rating.

Result

By partnering with Changetrackers, the company can show its customers how their support not only helps the business model succeed, but also creates value for society.

This approach fosters trust and customer loyalty, while also enabling analysis of resource usage and assessing the impact of activities on long-term goals.

How Changetrackers supports the NPO

Through the analysis and revision of the NPO’s existing MEL plan by taking into account existing resources, stakeholders, and communication goals.

  1. For the actual state analysis, we take a look at how the non-profit organisation (NPO) is organised in terms of monitoring and evaluation:
    • do they have an impact model at the organisational and/or project level?
    • what data has been collected so far and to what extent has it been used for institutional learning, communication, and reporting?
    • what about the human and financial resources that are available for impact management?
  2. To-be analysis: What purposes does the NPO need impact management for? What are their priorities?
  3. Revision of the existing MEL plan and development of the basics for
    • planning: based on the impact logic and the impact model, the activities, outputs, outcomes and impact are aligned.
    • fundraising: the MEL plan allows for a simple and convincing presentation of the project and meets the criteria and requirements of the funding institutions.
    • monitoring: the defined indicators enable the collection and use of relevant information and data during programme implementation. By doing so, the programme manager is able to monitor the project’s progress in a systematic way and adapt it to the findings and achieve maximum impact.
    • evaluation and outcome harvesting: thanks to the MEL plan, the (un)intended impact of the programme can be systematically and regularly reviewed, documented and evaluated.
    • reporting: because the needs of the relevant stakeholders are taken into account in the MEL plan, the NPO can report on the findings and results on time and with little additional effort.
    • communication: with the systematically collected facts and stories, the NPO can communicate with confidence about programme’s impact. By doing so, the organisation not only shows its credibility to the outside world, but can also boost the employees’ motivation.

Result

By developing a clear MEL plan, the NPO can not only submit a strong funding application but is also able to effectively monitor, evaluate, and communicate the impact of its programme during and after implementation. This approach leads to improved transparency, accountability, and ultimately greater programme impact.

How Changetrackers supports the foundation

Our consultancy assignment is designed to help you develop and communicate a systematic and institutionalised impact management system for your foundation. By doing so, you will be able to effectively implement your funding strategy and achieve sustainable social impact.

  1. Together, we develop or revise your evaluation system, which enables you to evaluate funding applications in an efficient and transparent manner thanks to clear criteria.
  2. By defining clear and measurable objectives, as well as indicators, we establish the groundwork for successful impact measurement and management.
  3. We develop and implement meaningful evaluations that assess the effectiveness of the funded initiatives. We also establish a thorough follow-up procedure to ensure that the findings and suggestions are not overlooked, but rather used, reviewed, and implemented as needed.
  4. Through our targeted workshops and training courses, we raise your funding partners’ awareness of the benefits of impact management and strengthen their skills in this area, while ultimately contributing to the creation of real social value through systematic review.

Result

By working with Changetrackers, the foundation will convey funding in a more targeted and effective way. The board and employees clearly see the impact of their work at project and foundation level and will be able communicate these results transparently.

How Changetrackers supports the team

  1. Actual state analysis:
    • What goals does the performance contract comprise?
    • What experiences, feedback and findings have you gathered so far with regard to social change and impact?
    • How do you document and communicate these results?
  2. To-be analysis:
    • how can we use impact management to systematically document observations and intuitive conclusions and utilise them for evidence-based, innovative strategy development and communication?
  3. Develop a pragmatic, effective impact management system that enables the team to
    • identify goals beyond what is stated in the performance contract
    • collect and analyse relevant data and statements that substantiate the “gut feeling”
    • identify innovation potential, for example by paying particular attention to unintended and previously neglected consequences
    • demonstrate added value and innovation and to make successes visible through testimonials and concrete results while avoiding an alibi exercises.
    • share findings and best practices with other stakeholders and, by doing so, contribute to the further development and improved effectiveness of similar projects

Result

Thanks to systematic impact management, the team can not only promote social value and innovation beyond the minimum, but also strengthen the motivation of employees and commitment of decision-makers.

Are you ready to use the possibilities of impact management?

Yes, I’m ready

Trained
Impact Management Expert

About me:

I commit to.. staying curious, keep learning and keep growing. Always striving to be more interested than interesting.

I have always been drawn to questions rather than answers. And I’ve always been the sceptical child who questioned the things I heard and saw.

During my time in international cooperation, I learned a lot and had the opportunity to work with many incredibly dedicated people.

Too often, however, I felt that current structures and hierarchies prevented us from planning projects and activities in a demand-driven way, or from adapting them during implementation on the basis of new findings. It is understandable that M&E / MEL / MEAL is therefore a “red rag” for many and the topic is generally neglected.

But I am convinced that the methods and tools can be so helpful! Both professionally and privately, I have (mostly unconsciously) applied the principles of monitoring, evaluation and learning: observe, question, understand and adapt. I love to embrace discomfort, to look where it is uncomfortable. To explore where change can be initiated.

Today, I find myself passionate about impact management. It’s the professional field where I can combine what I love to do with what I do best: fostering continuous curiosity, evidence-based learning, and the clear commitment to assess whether our current thought patterns and actions are leading us toward our desired destination.

Impact management doesn’t have to be complicated

I do not claim to set up scientifically sound, complex studies. This is usually neither sensible nor feasible with the resources available.

My aim is to work with you to develop models, processes and instruments that are realistic, pragmatic and relevant to your plans and objectives.

What I always emphasise and am committed to however, are principles and values that are aligned with efforts for more diversity, equality, inclusion (DEI) and decolonisation.

Do you let me convince you that effective impact management is more than just a token exercise, that it can actually be useful and even fun?

Portrait Nora Julien

Nora Julien

I am delighted to work on a voluntary basis with organisations with which I have a long history:

  • As an advisory board member of Velafrica
  • As a member of the quality assurance working group at NCBI

My many years of work experience both in Switzerland and abroad are rounded off by certified skills acquired through the

I am a member of the Impact Hub Bern and the international networks IC-Hub, M&E Academy, Program Learning & Adaptive Management (PLAM) and Decolonising Advisory Community (DAC), with which I regularly collaborate, exchange ideas and learn new things.

People I have
supported

Adi

Creative Kids

Before the impact measurement workshop with Nora, we didn’t even realise what we could measure and why we should definitely collect certain data.

From the initial consultation to the coaching, everything was just right. And Nora’s critical questions and analyses helped us to gain new perspectives on our business.

Chris

Remotecoders

Nora’s knowledge and experience has been invaluable. Whether revising our Theory of Change, developing the impact indicators or in the workshop with the team, Nora was always quick to recognise our needs and provide competent support. The collaboration was very straightforward and pleasant. Gladly again!

Roger N.

be-advanced

Theory of Change was an abstract and complex topic for me. Nora (Changetrackers) made the topic understandable and tangible. Now we have concrete tools for effective impact measurement.

Roger A.

Swiss Health Network

Accompanying research for our INGA project was set up and funded with the Bern University of Applied Sciences. Now we needed an evaluation of the individual contracts with our B2B partners, which I had not yet been able to access. Together with Nora, we were able to quickly create an overview and develop a relevant target system at different levels of impact. Thanks to Nora’s help, the evaluation tool was up and running. And now the implementation can begin: a performance analysis that not only measures the achievement of objectives, but also uncovers potential.

Simon

When asked about the social relevance of our work, I used to have a vague feeling… a hunch that the crucial piece of the puzzle was missing. Nora quickly identified this feeling and provided clarity and direction through impact management.

Logo Equal Care
Logo Power Coders
Logo Velafrica
Logo edulab Thun
Logo Impact Hub Ber
Logo CDD
Logo SECO

How does the
collaboration work?

Whether you need a long-term partnership or short-term, project-based support: Contact me for a no-obligation introductory meeting to find out how Changetrackers can best support you.

Introductory meeting (20min)

Initial consultation (1 hour)

We meet and

  • clarify where you stand in terms of impact management
  • discuss your goals in detail
  • outline the key points of a potential collaboration

Offer

  • Based on step 2, I prepare an offer presenting scope and costs
  • You decide if you agree with the offer

Realisation

  • I’m glad you’re on board!
  • Together, we take your impact management to the next level
Contact me

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
about Impact Management

Phineo’s impact course book provides a good, comprehensive overview. It contains many concrete examples, templates and checklists for setting up impact management.

Let me know if you have any questions during implementation – regardless of whether you are just starting out or your impact management is already at an advanced stage. I provide both one-off and long-term support as required.

I am happy to accept your enquiry for evaluations. For larger projects, I work together with colleagues, as my own capacities may not be sufficient depending on the scope. Thanks to my network, I have good relationships with evaluators with whom I enjoy working. If you need an expert to accompany your evaluation and support you in the tendering and implementation process – for example in the formulation of evaluation questions, terms of references or the assessment of methods and evaluation results – I am at your disposal. I look forward to your enquiry.

Absolutely! Impact management is also relevant for companies that do not have social impact as their main focus. ESG compliance and CSR strategies are closely linked to impact management. By measuring and improving your impact, you contribute to sustainability and promote sustainable growth. It enables transparency, risk management and long-term sustainability.

If you would like an assessment of this before an initial meeting, I can recommend the Phineo “impact metre“. The impact metre gives you a quick orientation of where you stand, what you need and what you should pay attention to when you are committed to a good cause.

M&E (sometimes also MEL or MEAL) is traditionally often used in the context of international cooperation. Monitoring refers to the regular collection of data to monitor the progress of a project and to check compliance with quality standards. Evaluations are usually carried out in the middle or at the end of a project and look at the processes, results and impacts achieved. In this respect, the term “M&E” is not very different from impact measurement.

Impact measurement is an important part of impact management. However, I have never felt entirely comfortable with the term “measurement”. That’s why I prefer to talk about impact analysis. I also don’t want to create the illusion or expectation that exact measurement or quantification is always possible. Particularly in the case of social impact, the changes are often complex and can be analysed but are difficult to measure. Impact management includes not only data collection and analysis, but also strategic planning and the utilisation of the findings. This covers the entire process from planning to application.

The term “impact orientation” is also increasingly being used. How does this relate to the WiMa? Impact orientation forms the basis, while impact management enables implementation and continuous improvement. Both aspects are crucial to ensure the effectiveness and sustainability of programmes and projects.

If you have already worked out the basics and stored a lot of information, the question often arises as to how this should now be analysed and interpreted or who has the skills and capacity to do this. If you don’t have anyone in the team who can deal with this issue, it may make sense to outsource the task.

I can do basic analyses from a data set. However, as my background is in qualitative rather than quantitative social research, I recommend that you bring in a specialist for larger data sets and more complex issues. Thanks to my extensive network, I can support you in your search for a suitable specialist as part of a collaboration.

There are some recommended tools and software that can provide technical support for impact management. Unfortunately, I have not yet found THE ONE that I always recommend without reservation. Ultimately, it always depends on the scope of the data, the complexity of the projects, the users, the purpose, etc. as to whether a programme is suitable or not.

Nevertheless, here is a list of programmes that experience has shown to be helpful (without any claim to completeness or topicality of the information – I do not receive any commission):

  • Airtable: The platform to build next-gen apps
  • Impact Track: The platform to measure and communicate your social impact
  • Sopact: Transform stakeholder data into actionable insights
  • Activityinfo: MIS software for Monitoring and Evaluation and Reporting (activityinfo.org)
  • Salesforce: Nonprofit Cloud: CRM for Nonprofits
  • Apricot: Apricot Trial (socialsolutions.com)
  • Efforts to Outcomes (ETO): ETO | Bonterra
  • ImpactMapper: Reports, Consulting and Software for Social Impact Tracking
  • SocialSuite: Materiality ESG Sustainability Reporting Solution

The choice depends on your specific requirements and objectives. It is advisable to compare the different options and select a solution that best fits the organisation’s needs.

Contact me

Nora Meeting in Coworking

Nora Julien
nora.julien@changetrackers.ch

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Changetrackers GmbH
Murtenstrasse 212
3027 Bern