CLIENT STORY

MACS: Strengthening impact, strategy and income

How MACS went from collecting impact data to using it to strengthen their whole organisation – with our help. MACS is a small national charity supporting more than 3,000 children and adults born without eyes or with underdeveloped eyes. Alongside advice and counselling, they offer activities and events for children, young people and families to connect and share experiences. Like many small charities, MACS knew they were making a meaningful difference. But they found it difficult to articulate that difference clearly and consistently – both internally and to funders. They were collecting data for key activities through surveys and feedback forms, but each data collection tool was different, so aligning the data to outcomes and then insight into action felt overwhelming. With limited capacity but a desire to be more strategic, MACS reached out to us for support.

Building strong foundations

MACS began by joining one of our training programmes, designed to help charities develop a clear and proportionate approach to impact measurement. Emma worked with MACS to clarify their Theory of Change and strengthen their Impact Framework and Toolkit.

This process helped the MACS team step back and ask important questions:

What difference are we really here to make?
Which outcomes matter most?
What do we need to measure – and what can we let go of?

By developing a clear Theory of Change, MACS gained a shared understanding of their long-term goals and how each of their services contributes to improved wellbeing and confidence for their community. This clarity informed their new strategy and helped them prioritise their limited resources.

Bringing data to life

With a stronger framework in place, we developed an interactive Impact Dashboard that brought all their monitoring and evaluation data together in one accessible place.

The dashboard gives the team real-time access to key outcome indicators across their services. Importantly, it was designed to be accessible to colleagues with visual impairments, reflecting MACS’ commitment to inclusion not only in their services but in how they work internally.

Through our ongoing support package, we have continued to refine the dashboard and support the team to interpret and use their data confidently.

“We are absolutely delighted with the Impact Dashboard. Not only does it look fantastic, but having all our impact data in one place transformed the way we work. We can now easily extract the information we need for trustees, funding applications and impact reports.”

Amy Francombe Director of Charity Development, MACS

What changed

MACS now has a simple, proportionate system that supports both learning and fundraising.

They have:

A clear and confident way to articulate the difference they make.
Consistent tools to capture meaningful data without overburdening staff.
Accessible, real-time evidence to inform trustee discussions and strategic decisions.
Stronger external communications aligned to their strategy and outcomes.

This clarity has also supported service development. MACS introduced new counselling provision and an employability programme in response to identified community needs.

Crucially, since embedding their dashboard and strengthening their impact approach, MACS has increased engagement with their funders who are excited to see data presented in this way – demonstrating how credible, accessible evidence can directly support income generation.

By investing in clear foundations and practical systems, MACS have moved from collecting data to using it – strengthening their strategy, improving services, and increasing income as a result.

“I have nothing but confidence that this dashboard will be an invaluable tool for us. I’ve already gleaned from it the growth on last year’s impact.”