The second episode of The Benefact Trust podcast, #BeyondFunding, is now live, and in it, they are talking everything #Impact with Benefact Trust Grants and Impact Officer – Lisa Friel.
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Benefact Trust release second episode of ‘Beyond Funding’ podcast, offering tips on how to measure the impact of your project
- Lisa Friel, Grants and Impact Officer for Benefact Trust, is the second guest speaker on the Trust’s recently launched podcast, Beyond Funding, which aims to help churches and Christian charities on their fundraising journey and open up conversations about major issues in society
- Lisa covers a variety of areas of Impact Reporting, as well as offering insight into how to factor impact into grant applications
- The podcast is available now to listen to on Spotify and YouTube
Benefact Trust, one of the UK’s largest grant-making charities, has launched the second episode of its brand-new podcast, ‘Beyond Funding’, with the programme set to offer tips and advice to churches, Christian charities and those looking for funding, as well as opening up conversations about major social issues with beneficiaries and experts.
Lisa Friel, Grants and Impact Officer at Benefact Trust, is the latest guest speaker on the podcast. After studying law at university, Lisa moved into operations, having worked as Operations Manager for the likes of the Garfield Weston Foundation. Lisa joined Benefact Trust in May 2023, with a strong interest in grant-making and understanding how a strategic approach can demonstrate impact and inform grant-making for the future.
In the podcast ‘How To Measure The Impact Of Your Project’, Lisa discusses all areas of Impact Reporting, from overcoming challenges in Impact Reporting and demonstrating impact in grant applications, through to where to collect data, the importance of storytelling and what Benefact Trust looks for from applicants.
When looking through applications, Benefact Trust is specifically looking for applicants to demonstrate their impact and outcomes and highlight the difference the organisation and project is hoping to make with the funding they’re applying for. This can be split into four key sections:
- Identify the need
- Explain why you’re the best organisation to address that need
- Give detail on what activities you’re hoping to carry out
- Outline what success looks like
Successful applicants will not only need to back up each of these areas with evidence, but Lisa says it’s a bonus if they’re able to identify learnings, perhaps from a previous project they’ve run, where it can be proven they’ll be learning from past mistakes, as well as from what went well, ensuring they’re offering the best service for their beneficiaries.
When asked her top tips for measuring and reporting on impact, Lisa offers her thoughts:
“It’s all in the planning. Having a clear vision and mission is going to be really helpful. Set identifiable and measurable outcomes and have a range of reporting techniques. If you are creating an Impact Report then use charts, statistics and case studies. Just make it more compelling for somebody to want to read.
“And keep it simple. If you want your Impact Report to have impact, people need to read it. Try to keep it simple. You don’t need to use all the information you collect to address your impact, as long as you’re showing the difference that you’re making, that’s what you need to do.
What’s more, when talking specifically about utilising data that’s readily available, Lisa went on to say: “Air with caution on using data from other sources and just ensure it’s answering the question you’re wanting it to answer. You have to be very specific when you’re using data, because if you are using data for one question that’s different from another, you could come out with some misleading results.”
The latest episode, How To Measure The Impact Of Your Project, can be watched and listened to via:
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6cTHM6fhGhPKOZTFhsUjlw
- YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_KBr-NSJxY