Funders naturally want proof of outcome to mitigate the potential risk of ‘wasted’ funding. But how are results best defined across myriad global projects in diverse problem areas? A misperception often levelled at Trust Based Philanthropy approaches is a lack of accountability, in the belief that funders are not adequately dictating the metrics of success for every project.

We’ve found the opposite to be true: by leaving assessment criteria in the hands of the organizations we fund, instead of trying to stipulate it ourselves, we get much closer to a true measure of impact.

At The Patchwork Collective, we trust our grantee partners to get it right. They’ve been evaluating what constitutes progress in their mission for years and often decades. They know fully what success looks like for them because they’re enmeshed in it. We don’t feel we need to ask them for more because our understanding of their issues and potential impact can never be as great as theirs is.

And many traditional measurements don’t do a good job of capturing the full effects of programs on human lives or the environment. An over-reliance on classic statistics can, in fact, hide what’s really going on.

Some things we’ve noticed:

Time:

Annual progress reports neglect the true pace of change in many situations. We’re accustomed, in wealthy societies, to annual returns – and they’d better be going up, preferably rapidly. But improving on human and environmental problems may show a completely different trajectory of impact. There are so many interconnected factors involved in these issues, many of which are unpredictable, that a long view of change is needed.

This is another reason why multi-year, unrestricted funds are so important to organizations working in these areas. They need to be able to pivot when the unforeseen happens, and have enough fiscal security to be inventive in their solutions.

Ripples:

Statistics are always more satisfying when the numbers are big. However, one significantly impacted person can create a whole community shift in perspective and action – a movement for change. We’ve seen, for example, how educating girls in places where they were previously unable to attend school leads to complete societal shifts around the idea of what’s possible. One educated girl can begin an enterprise that changes everything.

The communities involved in these projects are the ones who best know what’s needed and when that shift is being felt.

Complexity:

The world’s problems, and therefore their solutions, can be complex in ways we might never imagine. Our partner Health in Harmony (HIH) discovered the cost of health care was a major driving factor in the deforestation of a Borneo rainforest. Improving that, along with alternative livelihood potential, created a reversal of that situation. Health in Harmony understands exactly what they need to track to stay on top of their progress.

The vast web of interconnected causes in many situations can’t be approached with siloed solutions. The measurement of outcomes, therefore, has to take into consideration multiple impact areas.

Heart-deep Impact:

Often, the terms we use to describe human situations dissociate us from the reality of the lives being lived in those situations. When we set a goal such as ‘alleviating food insecurity’ it barely skims the surface of what it might feel like to live perpetually in fear of yourself and your loved ones, your children, dying from starvation in the next weather event.

So, while the number of agricultural program attendees can give us an idea of reach for a program of that nature, it’s when our partner organizations speak directly with the people involved that we get a heart-deep understanding of human impact.

We’re constantly learning about how our support is making a difference – not by dictating terms, but by listening to our partners’ keen understanding of the issues they work with every day and seek to change. That’s what we’re here for, to support them in their pursuit of improving the complex and demanding problem areas to which they have dedicated themselves.

Marie Dageville is a Founder and Principal of The Patchwork Collective, a family philanthropic group supporting locally-led solutions to global challenges.

Shelagh Meagher is a freelance writer and the Communications Manager for The Patchwork Collective.