Our Members are doing extraordinary work for our ocean. Running beach cleans, teaching the next generation, gathering data that no one else is collecting, showing up for their stretch of coast year after year.
What we hear from Members, again and again, is that there is not always time to sit down and turn that work into an impact statement that explains why it matters and shows what has actually changed for stakeholders and funders.
We are rolling out a five-session pilot programme to tackle that.
Impact in Practice: What we are launching
In May 2026, we ran a workshop on impact measurement with Dr Patricia McHugh and Emeritus Prof Christine Domegan from the University of Galway. It was a practical, hands-on session, and it made clear how much value there was in bringing this framework to more of our Members, not just the people in the room that day.
Impact in Practice is what came out of that. It is a free five-session programme, run by Grace Windsor, IOLN Project Officer, drawing on the workshop and on established impact measurement practice.
The programme is collaborative: built with your organisation, over five months, alongside a small group of other IOLN Members doing the same work.
Who we are looking for
This pilot is for five IOLN member organisations with fewer than 12 employees.
We are interested in hearing from you if documenting your impact is a problem you have been struggling with, or if you have:
- A funding application in progress
- A project in progress that requires reporting
- Identified funding that you want to apply for before the end of 2026
How it will work
The programme consists of five online sessions, from August to December 2026.
| Session | What you’ll work on |
|---|---|
| 1. Your story | You define who you are, what you do, and who you serve. |
| 2. Activities and outputs | Using a live project, you’ll define key activities and relevant outputs to track. |
| 3. Outcomes | Building on the inputs from Session 2, you identify what changes for the people you reach. Using the SMART framework, you will draft specific outcomes and decide how to measure them. |
| 4. Impact | Using your project, you name the bigger difference your work makes. We will explore two or three ways to collect proof of it, for example, stories, testimonials, or a short survey. |
| 5. Review and next steps | You revisit the story from Session 1 and combine it with everything you have worked on since, creating a fuller story and the measurement to back it, ready to use in funding applications and reports. |
Each session runs for about one hour, with up to two hours of work between sessions to complete ‘homework’. The sessions are hands-on and collaborative: you bring real work in progress, get feedback on it each time, and each session builds on the last.
Between sessions, every participant can book a 30-minute one-to-one with Grace and use the shared Slack space for questions and for collaborating with the rest of the cohort.
By December, each participant leaves with an impact statement they can tailor for grant applications, and use in other areas, including marketing.
How to apply
Impact in Practice is free to take part in. Applications are open now and close on 25 July 2026. The programme will start during the week of 10 August.
There are five places, so do not wait too long to apply!
Not sure yet, or have a question before you apply? Get in touch at Grace, grace@ioln.ie. We would love to hear from you.
