Impact Measurement Framework

1Purpose and Relationship to Other Documents

This framework defines how LinkScape measures whether it is achieving the change described in I-01 Theory of Change. It names our impact indicators, how we collect data for each, how we establish baselines, and the templates used to report. It is the measurement engine that feeds G-09 Annual Reporting and I-07 Annual Impact Report; program-specific measurement details live in I-04 Program Evaluation and roll up into this framework.

The framework is owned by the PM and reviewed each cycle before reporting. Because LinkScape is a small, youth-led, volunteer team, our measurement discipline favors a few well-collected indicators over many poorly-tracked ones. We would rather report five honest numbers than twenty guessed ones.

Targets in this document are intentionally left as blank template fields. Owners set them at the start of each measurement cycle; inventing targets here would undermine the honesty this framework is meant to enforce.

2Measurement Principles

1. Tie every indicator to an I-01 outcome — if a metric does not map to an outcome, we do not track it.
2. Prefer evidence we already generate — GitHub activity, event rosters, submission records — over surveys that add participant burden.
3. Protect participants — measurement complies with E-02 Data Privacy; data from minors is minimized and handled per our youth-safety obligations.
4. Report honestly, including misses — a missed target is information, not something to hide; I-07 states shortfalls plainly.
5. Attribute carefully — we distinguish contribution from sole causation, consistent with I-01 Section 7.

3Key Impact Indicators

Indicators are grouped by the three G-01 pillars. Each has an ID, a definition, a data source, a cadence, and a target field left blank for the owner to set per cycle. 'Baseline' is filled the first cycle an indicator is tracked (see Section 5).

3.1Building Impact indicators

3.2Developing Talent indicators

3.3Fostering Community indicators

4Data Collection Methods

Each indicator draws from a defined source so collection is repeatable and low-burden. The methods below use tools already in our O-05 stack.

Survey data involving minors is collected with the safeguards in E-02 Data Privacy: minimize what is collected, avoid identifying detail, and store under the access controls in S-01. When in doubt, the CFO owns the safety/security escalation path.

5Baseline Approach

LinkScape has operated since December 2022 but has not previously run a formal measurement framework, so most indicators start without a historical baseline. We use a first-cycle baseline model rather than fabricating past figures.

1. First cycle: record the observed value for each indicator and mark it as the baseline in the tables above — no target is judged against a miss in cycle one.
2. Backfill where clean data exists: for platform-derived indicators (BI-1, BI-2, FC-2), reconstruct prior-period values from GitHub history where reliable, and label them as reconstructed.
3. Set targets from cycle two onward: owners set targets relative to the established baseline at the start of each cycle.
4. Re-baseline on definition change: if an indicator's definition changes, reset its baseline and note the break in continuity in I-07.

6Reporting Templates

Three standard templates keep reporting consistent from cycle to cycle and let G-09 aggregate without rework.

6.1Quarterly indicator snapshot

6.2Program impact summary (per program, feeds I-04)

6.3Annual roll-up (feeds G-09 and I-07)

• One line per indicator: baseline, target, year-end actual, and a plain-language note on why.
• A short narrative per pillar connecting the numbers back to I-01 outcomes.
• An explicit list of misses and what will change next cycle.
• A data-quality note flagging any indicator with incomplete or reconstructed data.

7Roles and Cadence

8Data Quality and Ethics

• Every reported figure must trace to a named source in Section 4 — no untraceable numbers reach I-07.
• Participation data is stored under S-01 access controls; only the PM and leadership access raw survey data.
• Self-reported measures (DT-2) are labeled as such and never presented as objective assessment.
• Where an indicator cannot be reliably collected in a cycle, we report 'not collected' rather than estimate.
• Any measurement activity touching minors' data is reviewed against E-02 before it begins.

Approval and Adoption

Adopted upon signature by the officers below. Pending ratification at Sprint 0 (see LS-REG-001).

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