Impact Measurement Co-Design: What We Learned from Session One and What Happens Next

In December, social enterprises from across South Yorkshire came together for the first workshop in the Communities Innovating Yorkshire Fund Impact Measurement project.
This project is about helping organisations tell their impact story in ways that feel realistic, useful and fair. It is not about adding more paperwork or introducing complicated systems. From the very start, the focus has been on listening to organisations and building things together.

What Session One was about
The first session was designed to create a shared starting point.
Participants were asked four simple questions:

• What problems are you trying to address?

• What do you actually do in practice?

• Who is affected by your work?

• What positive change are you trying to create?

There were no right or wrong answers. People were encouraged to speak in their own words and describe what their work looks like day to day.

What organisations told us
A very clear picture emerged.
Most organisations described impact as something that happens over time, not all at once. Change was often talked about as gradual and built through relationships, trust and ongoing support.
The most common changes people spoke about included:

• people feeling more confident and valued

• improvements in mental and emotional wellbeing

• stronger feelings of belonging and connection

• greater stability and resilience over time

Many organisations also shared the challenges they face when it comes to impact reporting. These included:

• finding it hard to evidence things like confidence or wellbeing

• feeling pressure to squeeze their work into funder forms that do not reflect reality

• limited time or capacity to do complex reporting

• worries about how data might be used or judged

Importantly, these challenges were shared by organisations of different sizes and types. This suggests the issue is not a lack of skill or effort, but the way impact reporting systems are often designed.

What organisations want instead
Alongside these challenges, participants were very clear about what would help.
They want:

• clearer and simpler ways to explain their impact

• tools that support learning and reflection, not just reporting

• shared language that makes conversations with funders easier

• reporting systems that feel proportionate, supportive and realistic

Everything shared in the session was carefully captured and reviewed. In total, 152 individual ideas and statements were recorded, all directly linked back to what participants said or wrote.

Why this work matters
What this first session showed is that social enterprises already understand the change they are trying to create. The missing piece is not knowledge, but systems that can properly reflect that work.
This project is about building impact measurement around real practice, rather than asking organisations to change what they do to fit a framework. The learning from Session One will directly shape the digital reporting tools, training and support that are developed next.

What happens in Session Two
The second workshop will build on what we have learned so far.
We will start to look at shared themes across organisations and explore questions such as:

• which types of change matter most across the group

• which outcomes are hardest to evidence

• where reporting requirements clash with real delivery

• where shared approaches might help, and where flexibility is essential

This session will help move the work from listening and description towards shared understanding and practical next steps.

If you have not signed up already, how to get involved…
As the project continues into the new year, we are keen to involve more organisations, partners and stakeholders who are interested in impact measurement that feels grounded, human and achievable.
You do not need to be an expert in impact measurement to take part. This work is being shaped with beginners and experienced organisations alike.
If you would like to find out more or explore how this work connects to your organisation, we would love to hear from you.
More updates will be shared as the project develops.