The real story of impact is not the one we tell. It’s the one we prove.
Impact is the word we lean on to show success, justify funding, and inspire confidence in our work. The inconvenient truth, however, is that at times we misuse it, undermining the very progress we claim to be making.
In the humanitarian and development context, few words are as powerful and as overused as “impact.” It’s the word we lean on to show success, justify funding, and inspire confidence in our work. It is how we tell the world what we are doing, matters.
The potentially inconvenient truth, however, is that most of the time we are misusing it. And in doing so, we may be undermining the very progress we claim to be making.
UNICEF’s Evaluation of Impact strategy defines impact as “the positive and negative, direct or indirect, primary and secondary, short, medium or long-term change in the lives of children and families produced by an intervention.” Changes can be significant and transformative, shaping systems, policies, or lives well beyond the immediate results. We could spend a lot of time discussing where effectiveness ends and impact begins or whether we should focus on what we achieved directly or what we helped make happen. These are valuable conversations. But what is important to remember is that impact is not just about heartwarming stories or personal anecdotes, powerful though those are. It is about real change we can measure. It is the kind of change that shows up in data, in outcomes, and in improved lives and that we can confidently link back to work we have done. And to truly understand that change, we need solid evidence, not just narratives.
Common Pitfalls in Our Use of “Impact”
One very common pitfall we see in our claims of impact is that we too often equate the scale or intent of a project or programme with its success, assuming that ‘wider reach equals greater impact’. In these cases, we see the use of the term “impact” as a stand-in for:
- Coverage - “With the latest financing, the programme will have benefited 750,000 family members with lifesaving cash."
- Activity - “This new activity changes the way we positively support affected communities, or “it's new and looks good on paper, so it's got to work in changing people's lives.”
- Intent - “By focusing on stunting reduction, we will impact people's lives in the region."
These are all important and real examples from UNICEF reports and stories, but they’re not impact. And they represent a dangerous assumption, because reach and intent alone do not prove effectiveness. Without data showing that outcomes improved because of our intervention, we are just guessing.
Another common pitfall is to draw conclusions relying on assumptions or past successes in settings different from those in which the programmes are implemented. This is particularly true for complex humanitarian settings, where evidence gaps still exist on the impacts of programmes. As every context is different, without rigorous evaluation, we risk making claims that can lead to poor decisions and missed opportunities for the most vulnerable of children.
Why This Matters
Words shape narratives. And narratives shape policy, funding, and public trust. When we misrepresent our impact, even unintentionally, we risk:
- Distorting the truth about what’s working and what isn’t,
- Undermining accountability to the communities we serve, and
- Missing the chance to learn and improve our approaches.
To help UNICEF become more effective, efficient, and equitable in the coming years, especially with limited resources, it is more important now than ever to be clear, accurate, and consistent in how we describe our work.
Let’s Use “Impact” With Integrity
We should celebrate our achievements at every level, and part of this is recognizing when we have quantifiable and objective evidence of impact, and when additional evidence on the consequences of our work is needed. Let’s celebrate responsibly by:
- Backing up our claims with data and rigorous evaluation,
- Being transparent about what we know and what we are still learning, and
- Resisting the urge to inflate our language when the evidence is not there.
Let’s avoid using “impact” as a substitute for “numbers reached,” “activities or outputs delivered,” “hope that the positive changes we are aimed for actually materialized.” Let’s use it as a promise: that we will measure, learn, and improve. That we will hold ourselves accountable not just for what we do, but for what we achieve.
Together, we can reclaim the word “impact” and restore its power and meaning not just to donors and decision-makers, but to the people we serve because the real story of impact is not the one we tell; it’s the one we prove. Stories inspire, but evidence drives accountability for the results we seek to make in the lives of the children we serve.
About the Authors
Francesco Iacoella, an Evaluation Specialist at UNICEF Evaluation Office, works to estimate the impact of UNICEF programmes using rigorous and innovative approaches.
Mercy Kolok, a Communication Specialist with expertise in strategic messaging and storytelling, previously completed a Stretch Assignment with the Evaluation Office, where she supported external and internal communications to enhance understanding of the Evaluation Function and help strengthen engagement across diverse audiences.
The opinions expressed on the UNICEF Story are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position of UNICEF.
