Unpacking notions about the social sector

Building and navigating a career in social impact often brings a personal sense of fulfilment. This impact is often measured in job satisfaction, gratification, and the meaningful use of time and effort—even if it sometimes comes with financial trade-offs. For many, the reward lies in working for a good cause. But beyond this goal lies the challenging journey of making a lasting impact on a larger scale.

In the absence of neatly packaged quarterly reports with traditional indicators like market size, sales or social media engagement, how do we know that all the ‘good work’ we’re doing is truly impactful? Let’s explore this question with Shefali Bajpai , Director, Impact, The/Nudge Institute.

“At first glance, you might think reach or budget could tell the story. But unlike other sectors, where high volume and revenue growth signal success, scale alone can be deceiving in the social sector. In fact, it’s quite possible to reach a massive number of people without creating meaningful change in their lives. The target demographic tends to be devoid of voice or choice. I am still waiting for the day when a woman sitting in my own village in Uttar Pradesh writes us a bad review of the goat we helped her purchase,” she said.

Fair assessments of our work are critical for us. We broadly refer to this as impact evaluation—a way to assess what’s working, what isn’t, and why. The Impact Hub within The/Nudge Institute is an independent team that not only measures the change we’re making on the ground but also evaluates whether our methods are effective.

According to Shefali, evaluation plays a crucial role in guiding key decisions: whether to scale a program, refine its strategy, or even discontinue it.

To make these decisions, she explains, “we have to measure the changes we’re aiming for and the effectiveness of our approach in creating them.”

• During the initial experimental phase, when the strategy is in flux and the focus is on discovery, programs are more autonomous. They collect and analyse their own data to iterate quickly and adapt. This flexibility allows for rapid testing and learning without the burden of heavy evaluation frameworks.
• As a program begins to mature and we understand why it works, the Impact Hub steps in to provide deeper insights. At this stage, we help programs build robust theories of change to ensure all activities align with desired outcomes, and we’re tracking impact in a meaningful, measurable way.

Beyond the success of programs—which is assessed through statistically measured changes, qualitative studies allow us to explore why change happens and whether it benefits individuals, especially women, and their families.

Shefali shares how qualitative studies are undertaken at The/Nudge, “In the livelihood ecosystem programs, we usually assess contribution rather than attribution. We also rely on our partners - incubatees, prize participants to share their outcome/ impact data with us. Metrics are easier to come by in our direct implementation programs. While we are making strides here, quality data remains a challenge when it comes to metrics like income, decision-making of women, and agency - which require recall, estimation, trust and vulnerability on the side of the responder. As our practice evolves, we are increasingly mindful of adopting innovative and participatory research approaches.”

As the field of impact measurement grows, skilled teams and intent-driven professionals in the social sector play a vital role in making critical decisions. This process enables our organisation to stay accountable, adaptable, and, above all, aligned with our mission of creating a lasting difference.

Stay tuned for more perspectives and stories from Nudgesters who are taking on new challenges, innovating, and solving for a ‘poverty-free India, within our lifetime’.

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