Introduction to this toolkit

A central pillar of Small Foundation's strategy is the belief that networks — intentional collections of individuals, organisations and entities who connect around shared, often complex, challenges — are an effective means of creating systemic change. This toolkit supports those using a network approach to track the functions of networks and tell stories of impact.

We hope it will enable network coordinators to:

  • Integrate network monitoring tasks into regular activities to streamline the process
  • Capture, measure and analyse progress
  • Use data to effectively cultivate your network
  • Communicate to members, funders and other stakeholders what impact through a network approach looks like

The toolkit is designed to be practical and offers guidance on gathering data for useful insights rather than defining a gold standard. Tracking network outcomes and system change impact are covered separately in .

Network practitioners collaborating at a workshop

Keep in mind

  • There is no one-size fits all approach for network impact data collection
  • The long-term goal of network impact measurement should be that it fits organically into network practice
  • Data collection should be on-going (not annually, quarterly or monthly) and incorporated into day-to-day activities. It should not be an external reporting exercise only
Ready to get started?
Explore the four monitoring areas