A case study of impact measurement in a third sector umbrella organisation

Purpose - This paper aims to explore a current measurement system within a team of a national third sector umbrella organisation and to recommend a new set of ongoing changes to be implemented based on current literature from the third sector which can be applied to other similar sized organisations. Design/methodology/approach - A series of semi-structured interviews were used to examine current practices within the team. Findings - Areas of weakness within the current measurement system were identified including secondary satisfaction measures for stakeholders who were not being examined before. Thorough descriptions of both impact assessment in the team and the organisational approach are discussed. Research limitations/implications - A follow up to see how the recommended changes are put into practice and what difference this has made to the team in regards to motivation and productivity would be useful after a year. The limitation of this case study is that this examines only one umbrella organisation and therefore is not representative of the entire third sector although it is certainly a useful addition. Practical implications - Changes to practice are identified within the paper and this has implications for all third sector organisations as these changes are based upon a strong literature base within the sector. Originality/value - This paper provides unique in-depth insider viewpoint on a team of a national organisation. This also involved working with the Strategy and Impact team of National Council for Voluntary Organisations who are responsible for helping support the third sector through impact and performance measurement.