Outputs

Outputs are the easiest thing to measure and the easiest to over-rely on. They are the direct, countable results of what you do — the sessions, the meals, the people through the door. They tell you the scale of your delivery, but not, on their own, whether anything changed.

Outputs are the countable products of a charity’s activities; they sit below outcomes and impact in the results chain and describe what was delivered, not the difference made. (Source: sector-standard definition — NCVO / New Philanthropy Capital, accessed 9 July 2026.) Collecting them is essential for monitoring, but they gain meaning only when linked to outcomes.

Track outputs routinely, then pair a handful with outcome measures so you can show both scale and change. See how they connect in a theory of change and the Impact Measurement Handbook.