When we think of measuring social impact, the mind immediately runs to numbers: data, percentages, indicators of success. But what happens when we put people’s stories alongside the numbers? The result can be surprising: the narrative not only enriches the analysis, but transforms it, making the emotional and human nuances behind each project visible.
This surprise was experienced first-hand by Prof. Maria Giulia Marini and CeVIS Project Manager Caterina Rosini when they analysed the narrative traces collected from the members of the CeVIS – Centro di Competenze per la Valutazione e Misurazione dell’Impatto – Community. The initial idea was simple: to administer traces to collect feedback on the training. But what emerged overturned many initial convictions:
- Narrative as a tool for change – If at first narrative was seen as something secondary, it was eventually recognised as indispensable for giving meaning and context to numbers.
- Data without stories is not enough – Measuring social impact cannot be just a matter of metrics. Stories have made it clear that behind every number there is a transformation, an emotion, a new awareness. The word clouds make visible beyond this aspect also a strong downsizing of the role of numbers, which have gone from being the core, the basis to being a support, a part, a starting point. The downsizing is made visible not only by the choice of words but also by the quantity of words used to describe the numbers.
- A tangible change of perspective – 60% of the narratives collected showed a progressive evolution: those who were sceptical began to see the value of the narrative, those who only believed in numbers discovered that data alone only tell part of the reality. This change was accompanied by a significant emotional swing: the analysis of emotions, conducted through Plutchik’s Flower, showed a mix of joy, confidence and curiosity, but also moments of scepticism and anxiety, related to the challenge of integrating a new approach into one’s professional context.
The most fascinating element? The way the participants themselves redefined their approach: from “I thought storytelling was just storytelling” to “now I see that stories bring data to life.” A paradigm shift that suggests how crucial it is to integrate the human element into impact evaluation.
Perhaps the secret to truly understanding social change lies not just in measuring it, but in storytelling.
Caterina Rosini – CEVIS, Centro per la Valutazione dell’Impatto Sociale, Cottino, Torino