Measuring is Knowing: Our Quest for Real Impact

“How do you actually know if you are making an impact?”

I was asked this question in 2022 during a conversation with a potential financier. My answer was full of stories: Omar becoming more self-confident, Yara making her Dutch dreams come true, Mohammed getting to know Dutch colleagues. (names are fictitious)

“But what are your numbers?” she asked further.

Silence.

We had great stories, happy trainees, and the feeling that we were really making a difference. But hard data? We didn't have that.

The Story Problem

For three years, Grenzeloos ran on stories and intuition. We saw people grow, heard positive feedback, and felt that our approach worked. Consultants from the municipality were satisfied, trainees came back for coffee after their trajectory, and we regularly had good flow-through to work.

For ourselves that was enough proof. We were busy, people were being helped, what more could we want?

The problem was that stories don’t scale. Every time we had to explain our impact, we told the same old anecdotes. Funders wanted to see trends. Partners wanted comparable data. And we ourselves began to question whether we were as effective as we thought.

The Wake-up Call

In 2023, we were asked to participate in Grant Thornton's Impact Expedition, a program specifically designed to help social enterprises measure their impact.

The first workshop made us stop and think about the facts. We had to explain our Theory of Change – the story of how our activities lead to our intended impact. We had an idea, but it was rather vague:

“We offer a work-study program → people learn Dutch and skills → they find work → they integrate better.”

“And how do you know those steps are actually happening?” the trainer asked.

That's a good question. 

The First Measurements

We decided to start simple. Instead of building a complex system, we simply asked questions to our trainees.

We developed a questionnaire that we administered as an interview:

• How do you rate your Dutch language proficiency? (Own assessment and teacher assessment)
• How many people have you spoken Dutch with in the past few weeks?
• How long was your longest conversation in Dutch?
• How do you feel about the number of people you know in the Netherlands?
• How important is Grenzeloos for you when learning Dutch?
• What is the most important thing Grenzeloos has meant to you?

Nothing revolutionary, but concrete questions about the things we claimed to be doing.

The Surprising Results

After two months we administered the same questionnaire to 8 trainees again. The results were surprisingly positive:

Language development: On average, people grew a quarter of their language level in two months. Speaking and understanding improved particularly quickly.

Valuation: Trainees gave Grenzeloos an average score of 9 out of 10 for its importance in learning Dutch.

Network effect: Less clearly measurable, but visible in the open answers.

But the most interesting were the answers to “What is the most important thing Grenzeloos has meant to you?”:

• “Learn barista skills, learn Dutch, meet new people”
• “Contact with (other) people, speaking Dutch”
• “Social contact, learning to speak Dutch with the guests”
• “Everything”

What We Learned About Measuring

1. Start with what you claim to do: We claimed that people learn Dutch with us, become more self-confident, and build a network. So that's what we started measuring. Simple but effective.

2. Combine numbers with stories: The numbers gave us trends and comparability. The open questions gave us context and meaning. Both were needed.

3. Own assessment + external assessment: We asked both trainees and teachers about language level. Interestingly, trainees were often stricter on themselves than we were on them.

4. Measure growth, not just final level: Instead of asking “has someone reached A2 level?” we asked “how much has someone grown?” That gave a more realistic picture of our contribution.

5. Keep it simple: Our first questionnaire had 15 questions, which was manageable for both trainees and our team.

The Limitations

We were honest about what our measurements couldn't do:

Cultural bias: People from some cultures tend to respond more positively about organizations that help them.

Language barrier: Interviews were conducted by our team, which could have influenced the answers.

Small group: 8 people over 2 months is not a statistically significant sample.

No control group: We didn't know how these people would have developed without Grenzeloos.

But it was a start.

The Unexpected Insights

The measurement itself also gave us insights we did not expect:

Timing of impact: Some effects (language growth) were quickly visible, others (outflow to work) took much longer.

Diversity in needs: What was most important to one person was less relevant to another.

The value of reflection: Asking the questions themselves helped trainees reflect on their own development.

What We Would Do Differently

Start from day one: We could have started with simple measurements in 2019. Even a monthly question “How are you?” would have given us a lot of data.

Make it part of the process: Instead of making measurement an additional task, make it part of regular conversations with trainees.

Also measure what doesn't work: In addition to successes, failures and disappointments are also very valuable data.

The Practical Guide

For other social enterprises that want to start with impact measurement:

Step 1: Define what you claim to do

• Write down what your organization should achieve
• Make this as concrete as possible
• Focus on 3-5 core effects

Step 2: Choose measurable indicators

• For each effect: how could you measure whether it is happening?
• Mix quantitative and qualitative questions
• Keep it simple and manageable

Step 3: Start with a baseline

• Measure the starting position of your participants
• This can be as simple as an intake interview
• Capture where people start

Step 4: Measure regularly

• Not only at the end, but also in between
• Gives you insight into the process, not just the outcome
• Helps you make adjustments when something isn't working

Step 5: Analyze and adjust

• Don't just look at the numbers, look at what they mean
• Discuss results with your team
• Use insights to improve your approach

The Tools That Work

Questionnaires: Simple, comparable, scalable. 

Interviews: Deeper insights, personal stories. 

Observation: What do you see happening in practice? 

External data: Outflow to work, benefit freeze, etc. 

Feedback from partners: What do consultants, employers, etc. see?

The Great Insight

After starting to measure, our biggest insight was this: measuring makes you a better organization. Not because numbers are sacred, but because it forces you to think about what you are really doing and why.

We discovered that some things we were proud of (our competency app) were hard to translate into measurable impact. And other things we took for granted (the warm atmosphere) turned out to be crucial to people's success.

Measuring not only gave us answers, but above all better questions.

The Reality Check

Measuring impact is not glamorous. It takes time, energy, and sometimes confronts you with uncomfortable truths. But the alternative – guessing whether you’re making an impact – is worse. Because without data, you can’t improve, you can’t account for, and ultimately you can’t prove that your business is worth the investment.

For us, measuring was ultimately not a bureaucratic obligation, but a way to get better at what we found most important: really helping people.

In the next blog, we dive into the harsh realities of running a restaurant as a social enterprise: why low margins and high support costs prove to be a difficult combination.