A Guide to Evaluating and Enhancing Your Social Impact Organization's Performance
John Robert Hatherly,
Founder + Creative Director
Chamber
Yup, It’s that time of the year again when Mid-Year impact reviews are on the minds of many social impact leaders, and for good reason. Conducting a mid-year impact assessment is crucial for any organization aiming to stay on track with its annual goals while ensuring alignment with its core values and brand mission. It can be a lot to keep track of, and creating space for a review is the perfect time to reflect.
With personal experience helping to lead a non-profit design community for over three years, and serving as the Board of Directors’ vice president, I know first-hand the importance of taking proper time to evaluate how your organization has fared since January and the actions needed to complete its yearly mission. I’ve witnessed what happens when an organization is rudderless, and leadership doesn’t take strategy and the mid-year review seriously. Goals become wishes, and the hard work of change becomes impossible. We all know the end-of-year fundraising season is fast approaching (I’m posting an article on that soon!), and we can’t afford to miss our targets.
This guide provides a comprehensive approach to reviewing progress, assessing impact, and adjusting brand strategies. A mid-year review is an opportunity to reinforce your brand's identity and commitment to social impact.
The Importance of Mid-Year Reviews for Your Brand
A mid-year review serves multiple purposes:
- Brand Alignment: Ensures your activities and strategies align with your brand’s mission and values. They should always tie back to the greater vision you have. For us, that’s to build a more just, vibrant, and equitable world.
- Progress Evaluation: Evaluates progress toward annual goals, highlighting how your brand is achieving its objectives.
- Impact Measurement: Measures the impact of your brand’s initiatives, demonstrating its value to stakeholders. Without the evidence to support your impact, you can’t expect people to write the check.
- Strategic Adjustment: Provides an opportunity to adjust strategies, ensuring your brand remains relevant and effective.
These reviews help maintain the integrity of your brand, reinforcing its identity and mission while allowing for necessary adjustments to stay on track.
I’ve witnessed what happens when an organization is rudderless, and leadership doesn’t take strategy and the mid-year review seriously. Goals become wishes, and the hard work of change becomes impossible.
Steps to Conduct an Effective Mid-Year Impact Assessment
- Revisit Your Brand Mission and Values
- Begin by revisiting your brand’s mission and core values. Ensure that these principles guide the entire review process. Write them down and put them up on the wall.
- Set Clear Objectives
- Define what you want to achieve with the mid-year review. Objectives should reflect your brand’s mission and the specific goals you set at the beginning of the year. Take time before the meeting to organize your thoughts so the discussion can be guided instead or random. I’ve seen conversations go sideways and quickly derail progress.
- Gather Data
- Collect quantitative and qualitative data related to your goals. This includes performance metrics, financial reports, stakeholder feedback, and any other relevant information that reflects your brand’s impact. Depending on the size of your organization, it could be beneficial to have a workshop facilitator help guide this part. Larger organizations are complex, and many time you are too close to the work you are doing to see the data clearly.
- Analyze Progress
- Compare the data against your annual goals. Identify areas where you are on track and where progress is lacking. Ensure this analysis reflects your brand’s core values and mission.
- Evaluate Brand Impact
- Assess the actual impact of your brand’s activities. Look at the outcomes and changes brought about by your initiatives, beyond just output metrics. How has your brand influenced positive change? Write it down, and put it up on the wall next to the mission and values. It will be clear and you can draw the lines between activities and impact.
- Engage Stakeholders
- Involve key stakeholders in the review process. This could include team members, board members, partners, and most importantly, beneficiaries. Start from a place of co-creation and empathy for each other’s thoughts. We’re all on the same team. Their insights can provide valuable perspectives on your progress and impact from a brand standpoint.
- Identify Challenges and Opportunities
- Pinpoint any obstacles that have hindered progress and look for opportunities that can be leveraged in the second half of the year. Do this from a place of love, and consider how these challenges and opportunities affect your brand’s reputation and mission. Welcome critique’s of each other’s work and keep open dialogue. Ensuring space for calling out BS is essential to healthy collaboration. And try to do it with a sense of humor. It’s serious work that requires big open hearts.
- Adjust Strategies
- Based on your findings, revise your strategies and action plans. Ensure these adjustments align with your brand’s mission and values, reinforcing your brand’s identity.
- Communicate Findings with Radical Transparency
- Share the results of the mid-year review with your team and stakeholders, including the benficiaries. Bringing the people you serve into the conversation creates authentic dialogue and brandy trust. Clear internal communication ensures everyone is aligned and understands the adjustments being made to stay true to your brand. Remember, your brand is what people say about the work you do. So tell them!
- Implement Changes Now!
- Put the revised strategies into action. Monitor the implementation closely to ensure the changes are effective and reflect your brand’s mission.
- Set the stage for the End-Year review
- Use insights from the mid-year review to plan for your end-of-year assessment. This will help in making the final push toward achieving your annual goals and ensuring your brand’s continued impact.
Conclusion
A mid-year impact assessment is an invaluable tool for organizations committed to social impact and brand integrity. By taking the time to review progress, assess impact, and adjust strategies, organizations can ensure they are on the right path to achieving their goals while staying true to their brand’s mission and values. The steps outlined in this guide, coupled with real-world examples, provide a roadmap for conducting effective mid-year reviews that drive meaningful progress and reinforce your brand’s identity.
Want to talk about facilitating a mid-year review workshop? Let’s chat.
