How can you encourage grantees to report project impact in a person-centered way?

As a grant administrator, you want to know how your grantees are using your funds and what outcomes they are achieving. But how can you get them to report their project impact in a way that reflects the human stories behind the numbers? In this article, we will explore some strategies to encourage grantees to report project impact in a person-centered way, which can help you understand the value and relevance of their work, as well as build trust and engagement with your stakeholders.

1 Define person-centered reporting

Person-centered reporting is a way of communicating the impact of a project by highlighting the experiences, perspectives, and feedback of the people who benefited from it. Instead of focusing on quantitative indicators and outputs, person-centered reporting uses qualitative methods and narratives to show how the project changed lives, solved problems, or met needs. Person-centered reporting can complement traditional reporting formats, such as logic models or results frameworks, by adding depth and context to the data.

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Julian Alejandro Baro, MPAP

DEIB 🏳️🌈┊Capacity Builder 🏛️┊Strategic Policy Analysis & Communications 💻📜🔊┊Proud 🇨🇺 & 🇵🇷┊Digital Content Creator 📹📽️┊Disability Advocate
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1. Focus on Beneficiaries: Prioritize the experiences and stories of the individuals directly impacted by the project. 2. Human-Centric Metrics: Use metrics that reflect the well-being, satisfaction, and personal growth of beneficiaries. 3. Qualitative Data: Gather personal anecdotes, testimonials, and case studies to illustrate the real impact on people's lives. 4. Empowerment: Involve beneficiaries in the reporting process, allowing them to share their own perspectives. 5. Address Unique Needs: Tailor reporting to highlight the unique needs and goals of individuals served by the project. 6. Storytelling: Encourage grantees to tell compelling, relatable stories that humanize the impact of the project.

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2 Explain the benefits

One way to encourage grantees to report project impact in a person-centered way is to explain the benefits of this approach for them and for you. For grantees, person-centered reporting can help them showcase their achievements, demonstrate their value, and attract more support. For you, person-centered reporting can help you assess the effectiveness, relevance, and sustainability of the project, as well as identify best practices, lessons learned, and areas for improvement. Person-centered reporting can also help you communicate the impact of your grantmaking to your board, donors, and public.

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Julian Alejandro Baro, MPAP

DEIB 🏳️🌈┊Capacity Builder 🏛️┊Strategic Policy Analysis & Communications 💻📜🔊┊Proud 🇨🇺 & 🇵🇷┊Digital Content Creator 📹📽️┊Disability Advocate
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Encourage grantees to report impacts by highlighting individual stories and quantifiable improvements. Emphasize how the project empowered people, transformed communities, and aligned with their goals. Provide support for effective communication.

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3 Provide guidance and tools

Another way to encourage grantees to report project impact in a person-centered way is to provide guidance and tools that can help them collect, analyze, and present qualitative data and stories. For example, you can share examples of person-centered reports from other grantees or organizations, or create a template or checklist that outlines the key elements of a person-centered report. You can also suggest methods and tools that grantees can use to gather feedback and stories from their beneficiaries, such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, case studies, testimonials, or photos.

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4 Align expectations and requirements

A third way to encourage grantees to report project impact in a person-centered way is to align your expectations and requirements with this approach. For instance, you can specify in your grant agreement or guidelines that you expect grantees to include person-centered elements in their reports, such as quotes, stories, or images. You can also adjust your reporting frequency and format to allow grantees more time and space to produce person-centered reports, such as by reducing the number of quantitative indicators or allowing grantees to submit reports in different media, such as videos or podcasts.

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Julian Alejandro Baro, MPAP

DEIB 🏳️🌈┊Capacity Builder 🏛️┊Strategic Policy Analysis & Communications 💻📜🔊┊Proud 🇨🇺 & 🇵🇷┊Digital Content Creator 📹📽️┊Disability Advocate
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To encourage grantees to report project impacts in a person-centered way, align expectations and requirements by: 1. Clearly defining reporting criteria. 2. Emphasizing the human stories and individual experiences. 3. Providing guidance and support for narrative reporting. 4. Encouraging grantees to engage with beneficiaries directly. 5. Showcasing the value of person-centered impact stories. 6. Using feedback loops to refine reporting practices and expectations collaboratively.

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5 Offer feedback and support

A fourth way to encourage grantees to report project impact in a person-centered way is to offer feedback and support throughout the reporting process. For example, you can review their draft reports and provide constructive comments and suggestions on how to improve their person-centered reporting. You can also acknowledge and appreciate their efforts and achievements in producing person-centered reports, and share their stories with your network and audience. You can also offer technical or financial assistance to grantees who need help with collecting or presenting qualitative data and stories.

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6 Promote learning and improvement

A fifth way to encourage grantees to report project impact in a person-centered way is to promote learning and improvement based on their reports. For example, you can use their person-centered reports as a basis for dialogue and reflection with them, and ask them questions such as: What did you learn from the feedback and stories of your beneficiaries? How did the project affect them in positive or negative ways? What challenges or opportunities did you encounter or create? How can you use this information to improve your project or inform your future plans? By doing so, you can help grantees use their person-centered reports as a tool for learning and improvement, rather than just a compliance obligation.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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How can you encourage grantees to report project impact in a person-centered way?

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1 Define person-centered reporting

2 Explain the benefits

3 Provide guidance and tools

4 Align expectations and requirements

5 Offer feedback and support

6 Promote learning and improvement

7 Here’s what else to consider

Grant Administration

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How can you encourage grantees to report project impact in a person-centered way?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Define person-centered reporting

2 Explain the benefits

3 Provide guidance and tools

4 Align expectations and requirements

5 Offer feedback and support

6 Promote learning and improvement

7 Here’s what else to consider

Grant Administration

Rate this article

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