Grantmakers get practical about outcomes at latest Smarty Grants webinar

The session, focused on outcomes measurement, brought together funders from across the UK to explore practical ways to plan, track and report impact without getting lost in complexity.

What we covered

The SmartyGrants team unpacked the common challenges facing funders, including:

• no shared language around outcomes
• difficulty tracking the work of funded organisations
• challenges aggregating data across multiple programmes
• weak links between outcomes and the data collected

The key message? There’s no silver bullet – but there are workable, realistic approaches.

Starting small, thinking clearly

A key theme throughout the session was the importance of proportionate, realistic approaches.

Rather than attempting to build complex systems from the outset, grantmakers were encouraged to:

• start small and iterate over time
• focus only on collecting the data they actually need
• align expectations with available time, funding and capacity

Speakers also highlighted the importance of working with – not against – grantees. This includes involving funded organisations in shaping outcomes frameworks and recognising the resourcing required to do this work well.

Other practical advice included:

• building data collection around reporting needs
• drawing on existing policies and frameworks as a starting point
• considering setting aside a portion of funding to support evaluation

The session also included a demonstration of the SmartyGrants Outcomes Engine, which provides a structured, repeatable way for funders to design outcomes frameworks, collect data and report on impact.

Strong engagement from across the sector

The webinar attracted solid interest, with 32 participants attending on the day.

Attendees included representatives from local government and major organisations, with several senior leaders joining the session. Engagement remained high throughout, with participants describing the content as “informative”, “insightful” and “useful”.

One attendee highlighted a particularly practical takeaway around allocating an appropriate proportion of grant funding to outcomes and data collection, noting it closely aligned with their organisation’s current thinking. Another attendee noted a particularly useful takeaway around allocating a realistic proportion of funding to outcomes and data collection.

What’s next

For those looking to build their outcomes capability, SmartyGrants is offering:

• a free Outcomes White Paper, with practical advice, case studies and guidance across the grantmaking lifecycle.
• trial access to the Outcomes Engine – email vickyc@smartygrants.co.uk for info
• one-to-one demonstrations tailored to individual organisations – email vickyc@smartygrants.co.uk to book a spot

For grantmakers facing tougher questions about impact, outcomes measurement doesn’t need to be perfect – but it does need to start somewhere.