How We Measure Impact: Inside Our Annual Report Methodology

Every annual report in the NGO sector lists impressive-sounding numbers. The honest question is: where does each number come from, and what would it take to verify it? Here is ours, laid open.

The Difference Between Output and Outcome

An output is what we did — "800 children were enrolled in Community Learning Centres in FY 2024–25." An outcome is what changed as a result — "72% of enrolled children transitioned into mainstream schools within 18 months of enrolment and retained through the next academic year."

Outputs are easy to count. Outcomes require surveys, follow-ups, and attribution logic. We track both and clearly label which is which in every report.

Our Indicator Framework

For each of our six programmes, we track a small, stable set of indicators. Small because too many indicators dilute quality; stable because only stable indicators allow year-on-year comparison.

Child Education (CLC)

• Enrolment count (administrative)
• Monthly attendance rate (administrative register)
• Transition rate into mainstream school (annual survey)
• Retention through the following academic year (follow-up survey)
• Standardised literacy + numeracy score at baseline and year-end (ASER-style assessment)

Healthcare (Aarogyam)

• Unique individuals screened (camp register)
• Number of new diagnoses by condition class (consultation log)
• Referral completion rate at 30 and 90 days (phone follow-up)
• Haemoglobin improvement among anaemic women (re-test at three and six months)

Women Empowerment

• Trainees graduated (training register)
• SHG formation and active-status count (meeting minutes)
• Average supplementary monthly income reported (self-reported annual survey)
• Internal savings pooled across groups (group ledger)

Drug Abuse Prevention

• Adolescents reached through school/community sessions (attendance sheet)
• At-risk individuals identified and counselled
• 12-month abstinence rate among those who entered counselling (follow-up)

Community Development

• Aadhaar / ration / PAN applications facilitated
• Scheme enrolments successfully achieved (Ayushman Bharat, PMAY-U, Jan Dhan, Ujjwala)

Skill Development

• Trainees completing certification
• 90-day placement rate (employer confirmation + trainee phone call)
• Median starting income post-placement

What We Still Struggle With

Attribution is hard. A child who transitions into a mainstream school may have done so because of our CLC, because of a government mid-day-meal change, or because the family's economics improved for unrelated reasons. We are honest about this: our reports describe contribution, not sole causation. A randomised trial is beyond our scale.

Self-reported income can be over- or under-stated. We cross-check with SHG group ledgers and third-party employer confirmations where possible.

How to Read Our Annual Reports

Our three most recent reports are on the Annual Reports page. Read the methodology footnotes before the headline numbers. If anything is unclear, write to us — every question helps us improve next year's edition.