The right impact assessment method depends on the evaluation question, intended users, program maturity, data readiness, available resources, and the decisions the assessment must inform. No single method is appropriate for every program.
Begin With the Evaluation Question
Method selection should begin with the decision and evidence need, not with the popularity of a framework. Organizations may need to understand social value, meaningful change, participant experience, implementation quality, relevance, sustainability, or several dimensions together.
A method is useful when its assumptions, evidence requirements, limitations, and outputs fit the context. Using more methods does not automatically produce a stronger assessment.
Social Return on Investment
SROI identifies, measures, and accounts for social, economic, and environmental value. It involves stakeholders, maps outcomes, values material changes, avoids overclaiming, and communicates assumptions transparently (Nicholls et al., 2012).
SROI is most useful when an organization needs a structured account of stakeholder outcomes and social value. The ratio, when produced, should be interpreted together with the outcome map, evidence, assumptions, attribution, deadweight, and sensitivity analysis.
Most Significant Change
MSC is a participatory approach that collects stories of significant change and supports structured selection and reflection. MSC can reveal unexpected outcomes, different perspectives, and mechanisms of change. It should not be treated as statistically representative of all participants (Davies & Dart, 2005).
Customer Satisfaction Index
CSI summarizes participant or service-user experience across defined dimensions. Satisfaction evidence can inform service improvement, accessibility, responsiveness, and perceived quality. Satisfaction is not the same as impact and should not independently demonstrate long-term outcomes.
OECD-DAC Criteria
The OECD-DAC criteria cover relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability. The criteria should be selected thoughtfully according to purpose, context, and intended users rather than applied mechanically or with equal weight in every evaluation (OECD, 2019).
When to Combine Methods
Methods should be combined only when each has a clear role. SROI and OECD-DAC can connect social value with broader evaluative judgement. MSC can complement indicators with stakeholder stories. CSI can contribute evidence about service experience within a wider evaluation.
The integration plan should specify how evidence from different methods will be compared, triangulated, and synthesized.
How to Make a Practical Choice
- Clarify the priority evaluation questions
- Identify intended users and decisions
- Assess program maturity and availability of baseline data
- Review monitoring data quality and stakeholder diversity
- Consider ethical requirements and evaluation timeframe
- Assess internal and external methodological capability
- Define how findings will be communicated and used
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Selecting the method before defining the question
- Using SROI only to produce a ratio
- Treating MSC stories as representative of all participants
- Treating satisfaction as proof of impact
- Applying every OECD-DAC criterion with equal weight
- Stacking methods without a clear integration plan
Typical Deliverables
- Evaluation framework and stakeholder map
- Outcome map and evidence matrix
- SROI report and sensitivity analysis
- MSC story set and selection record
- Satisfaction instrument and index
- OECD-DAC assessment matrix
- Integrated synthesis report
- Validation workshop and management recommendations
Immersia Project Experience
Immersia applies different combinations across BAZNAS RI, YBM BRILiaN, Human Initiative and Pertamina EP, PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia, and LAZ Zakat Sukses. Method selection is aligned with the evaluation question, stakeholder needs, program maturity, and intended use.
No client ratios, scores, unpublished findings, participant data, or confidential recommendations are disclosed in this article.
Conclusion
The best method is the one that fits the question, context, evidence, stakeholders, capacity, and intended decision. Methodological credibility comes from fit, transparency, and disciplined interpretation.
References
- Davies, R., & Dart, J. (2005). The Most Significant Change technique: A guide to its use.
- Nicholls, J., Lawlor, E., Neitzert, E., & Goodspeed, T. (2012). A guide to Social Return on Investment.
- OECD. (2019). Evaluation criteria: Adapted definitions and principles for use.
- Social Value International. (n.d.). Standards and guidance.
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