Impact measurement is too heavily led by funding when it should be focused on mission, David Robinson, chief executive of Community links told delegates at the Impact Leadership Conference yesterday.
Robinson, who gave a powerful speech at the conference organised by CFG and NPC, said impact measurement was a vital management tool. “If you don’t understand what we do. How can we do it effectively?” he said.
But he added that impact measurement was too much led by funding at the moment, when it should be mission-led.
“Impact measurement is fundamental to improving mission,” he said. “It informs strategy, tactics and everyday behaviour. It's about leadership and the big mission of an organisation."
Robinson's concerns around funding and impact measurement chime with NPC's recent Making an Impact report which found half of charities who increased impact measurement did so to satisfy funders.
During his speech, Robinson also said that charities should not be afraid of failure. “You need to fail thoughtfully,” he said. “If you can’t you are either too timid or self-delusional. And I don’t want either.”
He said the charity sector needed to “collaborate ruthlessly”, be bold about not being able to measure everything and not exaggerate claims about impact.
"It would be better to say nothing at all than make claims we can’t substantiate," he said.
He also warned that charities should beware of attaching “false value to the business of empires,” saying it should be celebrated if a charity closes down as it’s done its job. “It’s the mission that matters,” he said.
