Ryan Miemczyk

Ryan Miemczyk

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

ONS Accredited Researcher | Founder of imd2025.co.uk & theimpactlab.co.uk | Director of Research @ Trust Impact | Chair @ ManchesterYoungLives | Deputy Chair @ YMCAManchester | I help charities measure the important stuff https://linktr.ee/ryanmiemczyk

22.5K followers 2.5K following1.4K posts

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

Back at #Anthropy2026.

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

Funders want robust evidence of impact. But they often won't fund the infrastructure that makes robust evidence possible. Let's talk about that. 🧵

View full thread

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

The best-evidenced programmes usually have sustained funding. Not because money made them better at delivery, but because it gave them time to build systems, train staff, and iterate. Evidence needs investment.

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

If you're navigating this tension in the sector, I'd love to hear how. Drop a reply or DM. And funders: what would it take to fund the infrastructure, not just the activities? #SocialImpact #CharityData #ImpactMeasurement

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

Funders want robust evidence of impact. But they often won't fund the infrastructure that makes robust evidence possible. Let's talk about that. 🧵

View full thread

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

Baseline and endline surveys sound simple. They're not. You need to reach people twice, months apart. People move. Disengage. Get discharged. Attrition is real. But funders sometimes read it as failure.

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

The timeframes don't match either. A 12-month grant rarely captures long-term outcomes. You're measuring people 3 months after a 6-week programme and calling it impact. That's a structural problem, not a delivery one.

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

Funders want robust evidence of impact. But they often won't fund the infrastructure that makes robust evidence possible. Let's talk about that. 🧵

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

Good data collection costs money. Staff time, survey tools, database setup, analysis. It's rarely included as a fundable cost. So charities cut corners — then get judged for producing weak evidence.

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

🧵 I built an interactive data dashboard on Love It or List It UK because apparently that's how I spend my time now.

View full thread

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

I built four tabs of charts to try and answer this. Economics, geography, episode breakdowns, the lot. Do I have a definitive answer? No. Does the dashboard look nice? Yes.

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

Sometimes data doesn't have to solve a serious problem. Sometimes it just has to be fun. 🔗 impctlab.uk/lioli/ (No, I will not be taking questions about my life choices.)

impctlab.ukLove It or List It UK — Data Dashboard

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

🧵 I built an interactive data dashboard on Love It or List It UK because apparently that's how I spend my time now.

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

The headline finding: Kirstie wins. A lot. But is she actually persuasive, or is it just inertia bias (people staying put because moving house is genuinely terrifying)?

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

Stuck with unrealistic evaluation asks? DM me. I help charities design evaluations that actually work for their budget and context. #SocialImpact #CharityData #ImpactMeasurement

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

The best evaluation matches your resources. A well-designed survey beats a badly-executed RCT every time.

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

Three approaches that work for small-scale programmes: pre/post with validated tools, contribution analysis, or case-based evidence with clear mechanisms.

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

What funders actually need isn't a control group. They need confidence that change happened AND that your service caused it.

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

Here's the reality: RCTs cost £50k+ to run properly. Most small charities have evaluation budgets under £5k. The maths doesn't work.

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

Your funder wants a control group for your 12-person pilot. This is a real conversation I had last week. 🧵

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

On my way to London to deliver a workshop with an awesome client. I’ve time to kill before my train home though, so if anyone wants to grab a coffee between 2 and 6pm, drop me a message. x

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

Most Theory of Change diagrams are just fancy to-do lists. There, I said it. 🧵

View full thread

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

Pro tip: Write your ToC in prose first. Full sentences. Then diagram it. This forces you to articulate the actual logic.

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

Got a ToC gathering dust? Challenge: read it aloud. Does it explain causation or just sequencing? Drop your ToC questions below. #SocialImpact #CharityData #ImpactMeasurement

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

Most Theory of Change diagrams are just fancy to-do lists. There, I said it. 🧵

View full thread

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

Common mistake: confusing activities with mechanisms. 'We run workshops' is an activity. 'Participants gain confidence through peer support' is a mechanism.

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

Your assumptions matter more than your boxes. The real ToC lives in those 'if/then/because' statements you're afraid to write down.

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

Most Theory of Change diagrams are just fancy to-do lists. There, I said it. 🧵

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

A real ToC shows *how* change happens, not just what you'll do. It's about causal pathways: if we do X, then Y will happen *because* Z.

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

The test: Can someone outside your org read it and understand WHY each step leads to the next? If not, it's a work plan with arrows.

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

A dirty secret in the charity sector: most organisations collect loads of data but can't answer the one question funders care about most — "Did it work?" 🧵

View full thread

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

Common objection: "Our participants don't complete follow-up surveys." Reality check — that's a design problem, not a data problem. Short, single-channel, timed prompts dramatically improve completion rates.

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

If you're in the charity space and want to build this kind of tracking into your programmes without drowning in spreadsheets, drop a reply or DM — happy to share what's worked. #SocialImpact #CharityData #ImpactMeasurement

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

A dirty secret in the charity sector: most organisations collect loads of data but can't answer the one question funders care about most — "Did it work?" 🧵

View full thread

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

Quick fix: add a single 'distance travelled' question before and after each intervention. E.g. "On a scale of 1–10, how confident do you feel managing X today?" Pre/post. That's your baseline and your outcome.

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

Layer it with a follow-up at 3 or 6 months and you've moved from outputs → outcomes → sustained impact. Funders love it. More importantly, you'll actually know if your programme works.

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

A dirty secret in the charity sector: most organisations collect loads of data but can't answer the one question funders care about most — "Did it work?" 🧵

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

The problem usually isn't data volume. It's data architecture. You're capturing activity (sessions run, people attended) when you need to capture change (how people are different afterwards).

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

More and more charities I work with appear to be questioning whether delivery is still viable at scale 💭 As costs rise, influencing and systems change can feel like a more sustainable route 📉➡️📣 I have written a short piece reflecting on this. Curious if it resonates 🤔

theimpactlab.co.ukThe Shift Away from Delivery: Why More Charities Are Stepping Back to Push for Systems Change | The Impact LabMore and more charities that once defined themselves by what they delivered are now stepping back from delivery altogether.

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

This is super cool (the infographic not the deprivation). ⬇️

Julian@julianlstar.bsky.social

The recent release of the Index of Multiple Deprivation by UK Gov. allowed me to indulge my twin interests of psephology and demographics. The results a visualisation of the deprivation profiles of the 296 English local authorities. More info here www.opendatamanchester.org.uk/revisiting-p...

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

Awesome day speaking at the Utilita Giving Conference today. Amazing amounts of energy on display to change the energy sector for the better. Let’s beat #FuelPoverty together. #Charity #ThirdSector #SocialImpact

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

It’s #FuelPovertyAwarenessDay and too many households are still choosing between heat and essentials ❄️💷 Next Thursday (4th Dec) I’ll be speaking at the 'One Call That’s All' Conference about how data and early intervention can make a real difference 📊🤝 More details about what they are up to here:

utilitagiving.orgOne Call, That's All — Utilita Giving

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

Still buzzing from last Tuesday’s #FutureofSocialImpact2025 Summit. I was incredibly lucky to be joined by some phenomenal guests to present on creating #MeasurementFrameworks that get used and #Data essentials for #SocialImpact. See you all again next year!

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

Happy UK Budget Day. May your predictions be accurate and your surprises be mild 🤞📊💷 #BudgetDay #Budget2025 #UKEconomy #PolicyWatch

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

Annual trip to the #YouthMattersAwards With the #YMCA. Always an honour to attend. #SocialImpact #LiveData

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

Worth a quick read if you’re into your data or charity leader: Blog: Making Sense of Change - How Small Charities Can Use IMD 2025 to Target and Tell Their Impact: theimpactlab.co.uk/press/blogs/...

theimpactlab.co.ukMaking Sense of Change: How Small Charities Can Use IMD 2025 to Target and Tell Their ImpactA practical guide for small charities to use IMD 2025, compare with 2019, and target impact.

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

Checked the postcode for Buckingham Palace on my new IMD2025.co.uk site Apparently, the neighbours could use a little “levelling up.” See how your area’s deprivation scores have changed between 2019 and 2025. 👑📉 #IMD2025 #DataForGood #LevellingUp #UKData #OpenData #Mapping

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

🇦🇺 A 14-year, 25k strong study found that hopeful adults had higher wellbeing, better health, stronger employment & faster recovery after shocks. 🌱 #Hope as measurable, predictive & essential for understanding #SocialImpact. 📈 #Wellbeing #Charity #Evaluation #Reporting #Impact

onlinelibrary.wiley.comHope and the Life Course: Results From a Longitudinal Study of 25,000 AdultsThis paper reports the first large-scale longitudinal links between one of the least known dimensions of wellbeing—hope—and long-term outcomes in a range of life arenas. Hope has agentic properties w....

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

🚨 Big change for UK charities! SORP 2026 makes impact reporting part of the Trustees’ Report. You’ll need to show who you reached, what changed, and how you know. Get ready with our quick guide 👇 #SORP2026 #Charity #ImpactReporting

theimpactlab.co.ukHow the Charity SORP 2026 will reshape how UK charities report their work | The Impact LabFor the first time, impact reporting will become a mandatory element of the Trustees’ Annual Report

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

After a long day of building, it’s live! 🎉 imd2025.co.uk gives you free tools to explore the English Indices of Deprivation 2025 — maps, lookups & insights for #researchers and small #charities tackling inequality. #IMD2025 #SocialImpact #DataForGood

imd2025.co.ukIMD 2025 Tools | The Impact LabIMD mapping and lookup tools for 2025 and 2019. Fast access to postcode and LSOA insights.

@ryanmiemczyk.bsky.social

ITS OPEN SOURE DATA CHRISTMAS! www.gov.uk/government/s...

gov.ukEnglish indices of deprivation 2025Statistics on relative levels of deprivation in England