Measuring Impact with Juliette Montocchio – Senior Impact Consultant

Could you explain what ‘impact measurement’ means at Groupe SOS Consulting?

Social impact measurement is a process aimed at objectively analysing the effects produced by an organisation’s activities on its stakeholders (beneficiaries, clients, employees, volunteers, etc.). More concretely, when we seek to measure the social impact of an activity, we ask: what effects did the activity have on the lives of the stakeholders? What changed for them?

The effects that can be measured through an impact study are varied: acquisition of skills, development of social skills, increased self-confidence, improvement in well-being, creation of social ties, improvement in access to education, employment, culture, etc.

What are the main tools or methods you use to evaluate the impact of your projects?

We employ a participative approach with project leaders whom we support in their impact measurement, co-constructing the evaluation method with them. We first reflect together on the expected effects of the project that we would like to measure through the impact study. We then build indicators and data collection tools that will allow us to gather information to validate or invalidate our initial hypotheses about the expected effects of the project.

Depending on the project, objectives, and ambition given to the impact study, we can mobilise one or several data collection tools: quantitative tools (e.g., online surveys) and/or qualitative tools (e.g., interviews, focus groups, immersion observation).

We then analyse this data to confirm, or not, the various effects sought, and we propose recommendations (strategic, operational, etc.) to strengthen the impact of the project in the future.

Could you please share a story or an example where your work has had a positive impact?

For an ESS structure, demonstrating its impact has several advantages: impact measurement can be used to convince future operational partners, access funding, support advocacy efforts, motivate employees or volunteers, etc. For example, we supported Ateliere Fara Frontiere (AFF) in measuring the impact of its socio-professional integration programme for Ukrainian refugees and vulnerable individuals in Romania. The study proved and valorised the positive effects of the programme on its beneficiaries, in terms of employability, social integration, social ties, self-confidence, etc. It also contributed to AFF obtaining funding from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to expand the project to significantly more beneficiaries.