Impact assessment that stands up to scrutiny.
Your organisation creates value that standard metrics miss.
Measuring social impact well means defining it, evidencing it, and reporting it in a way that holds up under review. That is the work.
- Clarify what changed, for whom, and why it matters
- Build a defensible outcomes story supported by evidence
- Create board- and funder-ready social impact reporting
- Add valuation only where it helps (SROI ratio optional; CBAx bridging available)
3
outputs that make the work usable, reviewable and decision-ready.
Foundation · Assurance · Valuation
6–12
weeks, typically, from data handover.
Depending on scope and access
100%
of assumptions documented, sourced and open to review.
No black box — every number can be traced
What an impact assessment answers
A structured impact assessment answers three questions:
- What outcomes are we creating?
- What is the evidence those outcomes are real and material?
- What should we do next, based on the best available information?
Sometimes a strong assessment is the right endpoint. Sometimes you also need valuation to compare options, justify funding, or communicate return on investment. That is where SROI (Social Return on Investment) can be useful, but it is not mandatory.
Designed with Māori organisations, useful to any purpose-led organisation
Matatihi works widely across the impact sector. Our particular strength is supporting Māori organisations and kaupapa Māori initiatives where outcomes include things that standard frameworks often miss:
- whānau (family group) wellbeing and capability
- cultural connection, belonging, and identity
- mana-enhancing services and relationships
- kaitiakitanga (guardianship) outcomes, covering people and place, whenua and wai
If you are not a Māori organisation, you are still in the right place. The same discipline applies: clear outcomes, clean evidence, transparent assumptions.
Three outputs that make the work usable, reviewable, and decision-ready.
Impact Foundation
A clear, decision-ready foundation you can use for funding, strategy, and reporting.
- Co-designed Theory of Change (outcomes, boundaries, who benefits)
- Material outcome set (what counts, what doesn't, and why)
- Indicators and measurement approach (proportionate data plan)
- Evidence map (what supports each claim; where uncertainty remains)
Evidence & Assurance Pack
For boards, agencies, and reviewers who need to see how the logic holds up.
- Counterfactual structure and assumptions (deadweight, attribution, displacement, duration and drop-off)
- Documentation of evidence quality and gaps
- "What would change our mind" notes (what would materially improve confidence)
- Review-ready appendix, so the work is not a black box
Valuation Module Optional
When valuation improves clarity or comparability, we add it carefully and transparently.
- Monetised valuation of material outcomes using transparent sources and conservative assumptions
- Sensitivity and scenario testing, with drivers clearly explained
- Optional outputs: SROI ratio, CBAx bridging, wellbeing-aligned metrics where appropriate
Methods we use
We select methods based on the decision you are making, the audience you need to convince, and the evidence available. Not all projects need all methods.
- Impact assessment: outcomes, evidence, and reporting without forcing monetisation.
- SROI (Social Return on Investment): an optional monetised ratio when return on funding is genuinely useful.
- Cost-benefit appraisal (incl. CBAx): when you need comparability across policy or investment options, or to prove value for money to government.
- Non-market valuation and benefit transfer: valuing outcomes without market prices, with documented sources and assumptions.
- Primary research (optional add-on): surveys, interviews, focus groups, and mixed methods when evidence is thin.
- Economic footprint and multipliers (optional): reported alongside, never inside, the SROI ratio when economic contribution is required.
The Whakapapa Economics lens
Where outcomes move through whānau, place and generations, we apply Whakapapa Economics, an open method we wove together and steward, to widen the value boundary while keeping evidence disciplined. It is not a separate service; it is part of how we think. Wider, not looser: the same standards of evidence apply to every outcome we include. Read more about how the method relates to our practice.
Monetised impact, including SROI
Monetising impact puts a defensible dollar value on selected outcomes — most often as an SROI (Social Return on Investment) ratio, sometimes through cost-benefit or non-market valuation. It is one tool among several: powerful when you need a number for external audiences, but used only where the evidence supports it.
A good fit when you need
- a funder-facing return on investment narrative
- comparability across investment choices
- a valuation lens to pressure-test assumptions
- a clean, auditable parameter set that can be reviewed independently
Not always a good fit when
- a single dollar figure would imply more precision than the evidence supports
- the ratio would distract from what matters operationally
- the best next step is improving measurement, not monetising
How we keep SROI defensible
- Clear boundaries and explicit exclusions, to prevent double counting
- Transparent counterfactual ordering (deadweight, then attribution, then displacement)
- Parameter provenance for every key input: sources documented, assumptions stated
- Consistent price year and inflation handling
- Sensitivity and scenarios that show what drives the result
- CBAx bridging table available for straightforward agency review
Recent published results: $5.40 (He Oranga Poutama, Sport NZ), $3.90 (VOYCE – Whakarongo Mai) and $3.02 (WELLfed) of social value for every $1 invested — each conservative, CBAx-aligned and sensitivity-tested. See the work →
How it works
Most projects run 6 to 12 weeks from data handover, depending on scope, access, and reviewer availability.
Clarify purpose, audience, decision context, and the evidence you already have.
Confirm what is in scope, what is out, and what good evidence means here.
Review data and literature; map what can be claimed credibly today.
Value outcomes where defensible; document assumptions and sources.
Workshop the story and the technical detail; revise once scope is confirmed.
Final outputs plus a clear plan for next measurement steps.
Fees: fixed once scoped
We provide a fixed-fee proposal after a short scoping conversation. This keeps the scope clear, avoids surprises, and ensures the deliverable matches the decision you need to make.
Desktop impact assessment (secondary evidence)
From$20,000
Impact assessment with Valuation Module (including SROI where appropriate)
From$35,000
Primary data collection or multi-site initiatives
Priced on scope
Cost is driven by the number of material outcomes, complexity of counterfactual assumptions, stakeholder groups, primary research needs, and the level of assurance or review required. Where relational and intergenerational value is material, we scope the pathway work in from the start.
Not sure a full assessment is the right next step? A Pathway Scan is a short, fixed-fee piece that maps what value is being created and what evidence exists first — a low-risk way to start.
Common questions
Do I need an SROI ratio?
No. Many organisations need a strong impact assessment and reporting pack, without a ratio. We only recommend SROI when it adds clarity and serves the decision.
Can you assess impact without monetising it?
Yes. We can focus on outcomes, evidence strength, and measurement planning without valuation.
What data do you need?
We start with what you already have: admin data, monitoring, operational metrics, prior research. Where evidence is thin, we recommend proportionate measurement improvements rather than over-claiming.
Do you collect primary data (surveys, interviews)?
Yes, as an add-on when secondary evidence is not enough. We will scope it clearly and price it separately.
Will this stand up to agency or board scrutiny?
That is the intent. We document assumptions, sources, boundaries, and sensitivities, and can provide CBAx bridging where useful.
How do you work with Māori organisations and data?
We work in ways that respect kaupapa and context, and we design outputs that reflect relational and cultural value while remaining transparent and reviewable. See our approach to Māori data sovereignty.
Get in touch
Start with a conversation.
The first kōrero is free, with no preparation needed. Tell us what you are working on and we will tell you honestly whether we can help.
Get in touch