Firetail Webinar - Connecting Impact, Learning and Strategy
In last week’s Lunch & Learn webinar, Andy Martin was pleased to be joined by John Hitchin, the Co-Founder of Stories of Change for a presentation and discussion of how to better connect, evaluation, learning, and strategy.
John presented four frameworks during the session (slides here), which you can use to help your organisation interrogate what impact you are trying to measure, the relationship between strategy and performance systems, and the importance of time and the maturity of what you are evaluating.
1. Framing impact
The first framework helps organisations think about impact, and whether they are considering it retrospectively or prospectively, and from an evaluation or management perspective. John emphasised that this model is a flexible thinking tool rather than a strict classification.
2. Strategy to Impact Measurement
The second strategic framework John presented was adapted from Arnaut Ibrahim’s book Measuring Social Change, that helps organisations position themselves before they begin evaluating impact. The model considers an organisation’s level of control over long-term outcomes and the degree of uncertainty about cause and effect.
Organisations with low control but low uncertainty, such as those delivering direct services like meals to the homeless, typically sit in the bottom-left quadrant, where short-term outputs are clear and measurable. Those engaged in campaigns or advocacy, where control is low and uncertainty is high, fall in the top-left quadrant, as their influence is more diffuse and difficult to trace.
To gain greater control over outcomes, organisations must adopt more integrated strategies—coordinating multiple interventions (e.g. shelter, therapy, job support). Those operating in the top-right quadrant manage complex, multi-faceted initiatives, often typical of large-scale charities, aiming to address both individual needs and systemic change. This framework supports strategic clarity by helping organisations identify their position and desired approach within a complex change ecosystem.
Source: Ebrahim, A., Contingency Framework for Social Performance: Measuring Social Change: Performance and Accountability in a Complex World
3. Performance systems
John’s third framework follows from the previous one, and is taken from the same book. It highlights how different types of organisational strategies—niche, emergent, integrated, or ecosystem—require different approaches to performance measurement: standardisation, adaptation, coordination, and orchestration, respectively.
John emphasised this crucial interdependence between an organisation’s strategic model and how it measures performance and impact, cautioning against borrowing methods from organisations with fundamentally different strategies.
Source: Ebrahim, A., Contingency Framework for Social Performance: Measuring Social Change: Performance and Accountability in a Complex World
4. Frameworks
The final framework which was developed by John and Firetail, emphasises the importance of incorporating time and maturity into how organisations approach impact evaluation. Misaligning evaluation methods with developmental stages can derail learning and strategy.
At the earliest stages—before a clear theory of change is developed—organisations should focus on developmental evaluation, especially if they are exploring innovation or systems change. At this point, they should avoid traditional summative evaluation methods, which are inappropriate and potentially counterproductive for early-stage work. As an initiative matures and a theory of change becomes established, organisations can shift to formative evaluation, testing their assumptions, refining their approach, and exploring models like contribution analysis, particularly in complex or system-oriented work. Finally, once an intervention is well-developed or concluded, summative evaluation becomes useful for assessing outcomes and constructing a post hoc narrative.
After John’s presentation, there was a far-reaching discussion and Q&A which covered:
— The importance of context when applying impact frameworks.
— Challenges with rigid standards of evidence and funder expectations.
— Building confidence in defining your own approach to impact.
— Common barriers like fear, funding constraints, and organisational inertia.
— Approaches for working with corporate and diverse funders effectively.
— Practical first steps: start by asking meaningful internal questions.
Whether you were able to join us for last week’s webinar or are just catching up now, we would love to hear from you.
If you are grappling with how to align strategy with meaningful impact, navigating complex funder expectations, or working to build a more learning-driven organisation, we’re here to help.
You can connect with John here and Andy here, and if you’d like to explore these ideas further, don’t hesitate to get in touch with Firetail.
Join us for the final webinar of our first series: Innovation Funds for Charities. This is taking place no Thursday 15th May, and you can register here.
We will be joined by Jim Clifford OBE, founder of Sonnet Advisory & Impact, who will share expert insights on how charitable organisations can access and leverage innovation funds to drive meaningful change. The webinar is ideal for CEOs, trustees and senior leaders in foundations and charities who are exploring new ways to maximise their organisation's impact and sustainability.