How do you know what difference your community group is making?
We often count things like how many people attended an event, how many volunteer hours were contributed or how many activities we delivered. These numbers are useful, but they don’t always tell us what changed because of our work.
Perhaps someone made a new friend, a volunteer gained confidence, or two community groups started working together. Sometimes the most meaningful changes are the ones we weren’t expecting.
One way to explore these changes is through a storytelling approach called Most Significant Change (MSC).
What is Most Significant Change?
Most Significant Change is a way of collecting and discussing stories about the changes people have experienced or witnessed.
Rather than starting with a list of outcomes you want to measure, it starts with a simple question:
“Looking back over the past year, what’s the most significant change you’ve seen or experienced because of our group’s work?”
Through sharing and discussing these stories together, your group can explore which changes matter most and why.
It can help your group:
- Recognise changes that might otherwise go unnoticed.
- Hear different perspectives from volunteers, members and participants.
- Understand what’s working and what could be improved.
- Identify unexpected outcomes.
- Gather stories that help explain your work to members, supporters and funders.
You don’t need to be an evaluation expert to give it a go.
Give it a go: A 50-minute group reflection
This is a simplified activity inspired by the Most Significant Change approach. It’s a good starting point for a committee meeting, volunteer gathering or end-of-year reflection.
What you’ll need: A small group of people, some paper or sticky notes, pens and someone to guide the conversation.
Step 1. Think about what’s changed (5 minutes)
Invite everyone to think back over the past six or twelve months.
Ask:
“What’s the most significant change you’ve seen or heard about because of our group’s work this year?”
Encourage people to think beyond activities and numbers. What has changed for individuals, your group or the wider community?
It might be something positive, something unexpected or even something that hasn’t worked as you’d hoped.
Give everyone a few minutes to jot down their thoughts.
Step 2. Share your stories (30 minutes)
Invite each person to share one example of change.
Encourage people to describe what actually happened, rather than simply naming an achievement.
You might use these questions to guide the conversation:
- What was happening before?
- What changed?
- Who experienced or noticed the change?
- How did our group’s work contribute?
- Why do you think this change matters?
For example, instead of saying “We held 12 community lunches this year,” someone might share a story about a person who first attended a lunch on their own and now regularly volunteers to help organise them.
Both pieces of information are valuable, but the story helps us understand what those lunches have meant for someone.
Step 3. Discuss what matters most (10 minutes)
Once everyone has shared, take some time to discuss the stories together.
Ask:
“Of all the changes we’ve heard about, which do we think is the most significant, and why?”
There isn’t necessarily a right answer.
Some people might value the number of people reached, while others might be more interested in a change in confidence, connection or opportunity.
The conversation about why people value different changes is just as important as the story you choose.
Try to agree on one story that your group feels represents a particularly significant change. If you can’t agree, that’s okay too. Capture the different perspectives.
Step 4. Capture what you’ve learnt (5 minutes)
Before wrapping up, record:
- The story or stories your group discussed.
- Which change you identified as most significant.
- Why your group felt this change was important.
- What this tells you about your group’s work.
- Anything you’d like to do differently or explore further.
You might discover something worth celebrating, an activity you’d like to build on, or a gap you hadn’t noticed before.
A few things to keep in mind
- Include different voices. Committee members and volunteers may notice different changes from the people who participate in your activities. Where possible, invite people who have experienced the change to tell their own stories.
- Be open to unexpected or difficult stories. Not every change will be positive, and that’s okay. Sometimes we learn the most from things that didn’t go to plan.
- Ask permission before sharing. If you want to use someone’s story in a newsletter, grant application or report, check that they’re comfortable with how it will be used. You can also remove identifying details.
- Keep the numbers too. Stories are a useful way to understand change, but they don’t replace attendance figures, surveys or other information. Together, they can give you a fuller picture.
- Come back to it. Try the activity once or twice a year. Over time, you might start to notice patterns in the changes people are experiencing.
What next?
You don’t need to produce a lengthy report or formal evaluation.
You might simply capture a few stories in your meeting minutes, share the reflections with your committee, or use what you’ve learnt to help plan for the year ahead.
And if you do want to share your group’s impact with funders, members or the wider community, you’ll have some meaningful stories to draw on.
Want to explore further?
This activity is a simplified introduction to the Most Significant Change approach, originally developed by Rick Davies and further developed with Jess Dart.
The full MSC method involves collecting stories from different people, selecting and discussing the most significant changes, documenting why stories were chosen and feeding those learnings back to participants. It’s particularly useful when repeated over time.
For more information and practical guidance:
BetterEvaluation: Most Significant Change
The Most Significant Change Technique: A Guide to Its Use by Rick Davies and Jess Dart.
What Works: Most Significant Change