Measuring What Matters: Beyond Metrics and Outputs

​Event Description

Across the social sector, measurement often focuses on what is easiest to count, not what matters most. From education to poverty to leadership, many of the most meaningful changes, shifts in confidence, agency, wellbeing, and system dynamics, are difficult to capture and therefore often overlooked.

This discussion explores how we can rethink measurement to better reflect real impact in people’s lives and systems. What does it mean to measure learning beyond access, or poverty beyond income? How do we capture leadership, participation, and the meaningful involvement of children, including those with disabilities, in shaping the programs that affect them?

We will also examine how to track systems change and spillover effects, the broader impacts that extend beyond direct program participants, and why these are often undervalued. Bringing together practitioners, funders, and researchers, this session will explore how to move toward measurement approaches that are more holistic, inclusive, and useful for decision-making.

Speakers

• ​Ben Clark is Group Impact Adviser at The Phillips Foundation.

• ​Michael Plant is Founder-Director of the Happier Lives Institute, focused on identifying the most cost-effective ways to improve global happiness.

• ​Raghu Maharishi is Co-Founder & Director of Synergy Sansthan, advancing youth leadership and civic engagement in Central India.

• ​Valerie Foulkes is Associate Director of Philanthropy at Plant With Purpose, working with foundations to address rural poverty and watershed restoration.

​Discussion Questions
What are we currently missing in how we measure impact, and why does it matter?
How can we better capture outcomes like agency, wellbeing, participation, and leadership?
What would it take to measure systems change and spillover effects in a practical and meaningful way?
How can measurement approaches evolve to better reflect the realities of people’s lives, especially those most often excluded?

Location & access
Accessibility matters deeply to us, and we do our best to choose spaces that reflect that. That said, some of our Oxford venues are in historic buildings without lifts. This room is unfortunately not accessible for wheelchair users, those with mobility challenges, or anyone needing step-free access.