A guide to identifying, engaging, and valuing the people who matter

This practical guide brings clarity to the who, why, and how of stakeholder engagement. It shows you how to pinpoint those most affected by your kaupapa—from frontline participants and kaumātua to funders, hapori partners, and policy watchers—and weave their voices into every step of your impact assessment.

You’ll learn how to:

Map the full stakeholder landscape – distinguish primary, secondary, and tertiary groups so no critical perspective is left out.

Prioritise with purpose – apply simple, culturally safe tools to focus energy where influence and impact are highest.

Engage with manaakitanga – use interviews, hui, surveys, and kōrero circles that respect tikanga and create space for honest kōrero.

Integrate insights transparently – translate lived experience into outcomes, valuations, and recommendations your funders and whānau can trust.

A guide to recognising everything you put in

This practical guide to inputs brings visibility to the resources that make impact possible. Transparent accounting builds funder confidence, honours community contributions, and strengthens future planning and budgeting.

You’ll learn how to:

Map the full input landscape – capture financial, human, physical, knowledge, and cultural resources so no contribution goes unseen.

Quantify with evidence – translate commitments into numbers using payroll data, timesheets, asset registers, or credible proxies where gaps exist.

Stay transparent – avoid double-counting, include in-kind support, and document valuation methods for audit-ready clarity.

Show value for money – link inputs directly to outcomes so funders, partners, and whānau can see exactly how investment translates into impact.

A guide to tracking what you deliver

This practical guide to outputs shows you how to capture the tangible results of your work – from hui held and training modules completed to homes repaired and care packages delivered. By recording every workshop, hour of service, and item distributed, you create a clear bridge between the resources invested and the change achieved. Transparent output tracking grounds your outcomes in real delivery, strengthens your credibility with funders, and provides the context needed to interpret your results.

You’ll learn how to:

Define outputs clearly – distinguish delivery (outputs) from change (outcomes) so your evaluation tells a clear, defensible story.

Identify and record consistently – use activity plans, service logs, attendance sheets, and frontline knowledge to capture the full picture across sites and teams.

Avoid common pitfalls – prevent overcounting, missing small but important outputs, or focusing solely on quantity without considering reach, timing, and accessibility.

Strengthen your impact narrative – link outputs directly to outcomes so stakeholders can see the pathway from what was delivered to the change it created

A guide to demonstrating the change you create

This practical guide demystifies the concept of outcomes—the real-world shifts in knowledge, behaviour, wellbeing, and mana that prove your mahi is making a difference. By moving the conversation beyond “what we delivered” to “what changed (and for whom)”, you’ll give funders, partners, and whānau a clear line of sight from activity to impact. Robust outcome evidence builds trust, strengthens investment cases, and keeps your team focused on the results that matter most.

You’ll learn how to:

Define meaningful outcomes – craft statements that are specific, material to stakeholders, and attributable to your work, so you measure what truly counts.

Gather credible evidence – use surveys, interviews, and before-and-after data to track short-, medium-, and long-term change across social, cultural, health, and economic domains.

Avoid common pitfalls – steer clear of confusing outputs with outcomes, over-measuring, or assuming change without proof .

Link outcomes to value – connect your evidence to SROI ratios, helping decision-makers see the return on every dollar, hour, and karakia invested.

Ground your impact story in measurable shifts—download the Outcomes guide today and start showing exactly how your kaupapa changes lives.

A guide to sizing your true social impact

This practical guide demystifies attribution—pinpointing the share of outcomes that can genuinely be credited to your mahi. By separating your contribution from other factors, you provide funders, partners, and communities with a clear, honest picture of what your programme actually achieves. Transparent attribution not only safeguards credibility but also sharpens strategic choices about where to invest limited resources.

You’ll learn how to:

Distinguish your “slice” of impact – apply the core tests of deadweight, displacement, external contributions, and drop-off so your results aren’t overstated.

Gather defensible evidence – use comparison groups, baseline data, stakeholder counterfactuals, and sensitivity checks to anchor findings in reality.

Communicate uncertainty – present ranges and scenarios that acknowledge what you know—and what remains an informed estimate—building trust with critical audiences.

Strengthen collaboration – show where impact is shared, opening doors to joint ventures and co-funding rather than zero-sum claims.

A guide to choosing measures that reflect real change

This practical guide demystifies indicators—selecting, defining, and using measures that genuinely represent your mahi. By focusing on meaningful outcomes rather than convenient counts, you give funders, partners, and communities a clear, honest view of what your programme actually changes. Strong indicators not only safeguard credibility but also sharpen strategic decisions about where to invest limited resources.

You’ll learn how to:

Define outcomes before metrics – separate outputs from outcomes, then translate outcomes into precise, observable signals with units, sources, and collection cadence.

Build a balanced set – combine leading and lagging indicators, include coverage and quality, and reflect equity, context, and unintended effects.

Gather reliable data – set baselines, ensure consistent methods, triangulate surveys with administrative sources, and use simple validation and sensitivity checks.

Communicate and govern – document definitions, assumptions, and uncertainty; present ranges rather than false precision; schedule reviews, and retire or replace weak indicators.

A guide to assigning credible monetary value to outcomes

This practical guide demystifies valuation—selecting defensible monetary proxies for changes created by your mahi. By linking outcomes to prices, wages, WTP, or wellbeing equivalents, you give funders, partners, and communities a clear picture of what your programme actually delivers. Transparent valuation safeguards credibility and sharpens choices about where to invest limited resources.

You’ll learn how to:

Choose fit-for-purpose proxies – apply cost-based, revealed-preference, stated-preference, and wellbeing valuation so benefits are priced well.

Gather defensible evidence – use benefit transfer with context checks, base-year and PPP adjustments, and sensitivity tests to anchor findings in reality.

Communicate uncertainty – present ranges and scenarios that acknowledge what you know—and what remains an informed estimate—building trust with critical audiences.

Strengthen decision-making – show the value story alongside non-monetised outcomes, opening doors to prioritisation, co-funding, and joint ventures.

A guide to sharing what you found and getting better

This final guide in the SROI series shows how reporting becomes more than documentation—it’s a tool for learning, accountability, and growth. By turning data into insight and insight into action, you’ll build a continuous feedback loop that helps your kaupapa evolve with purpose and precision. Transparent reporting strengthens trust, sharpens decision-making, and ensures your evidence leads to meaningful change, not just measurement.

You’ll learn how to:

Translate results into insight – move beyond numbers to explain what happened, why it matters, and where improvement is needed.

Report with transparency – share not just what worked, but also what didn’t, building integrity and stakeholder confidence.

Use evidence for improvement – direct resources where they have the greatest effect and adapt as community needs shift.

Engage stakeholders – co-design learning, gather feedback, and refine your mahi in partnership with those most affected.

Close the loop between reporting and refinement—download the Reporting & Continuous Improvement guide and make impact measurement a living practice of learning and adaptation.