Why impact?
- Nicole Mc Neilly
It’s important to think about impact. You might be thinking about your impact because you’re trying to be more strategic and impactful in your work; or your donors might want more reporting or accounting.
Some high-level reasons for Europeana include demonstrating the value we create for the heritage sector, progressing our understanding of the digital transformation of the heritage sector and getting better at the things we do every day. These drivers - understanding your value, learning more, and making improvements - might sound familiar to you.
“In the cultural heritage sector, we work for a great cause, for the good of society as a whole, and we have ambitious goals. But it's not always easy to see whether we're achieving them. The fact of the matter is that - as a cultural institution - we have very few instruments at our disposal to assess the results of our actions. Of course, we count the direct outputs of our work fanatically - visitor numbers, Facebook likes, ticket sales. But we don't dig into the deep outcomes that result from our work - changes to attitudes, new friendships, new ideas and values.”
Europeana Impact Playbook, Phase one
Why impact and digital transformation?
We are in a period where we see the acceleration of the digital transformation of our heritage institutions and the lives of those who use and enjoy their data. As we pivot to meet the changing needs of our audiences, and of our collections, we have an opportunity to think about how we deliver impact through digital transformation and use resources effectively for the greatest good. That’s where impact design and measurement can play an important role. This is a great opportunity to put audiences back at the centre of the digital transformation journey.
Why is it important to think about impact?
Move beyond numbers to think about deeper change
Stay relevant in a changing world - think from the perspective of your audience and respond to their feedback
Inform evidence-led decision-making and iterative improvement cycles
Inform strategies and ways ahead
Contribute to the bigger narrative about what is the value of (digital) cultural heritage and your work
Help make change happen and make a better world
Contextualise your work (e.g. nationally, internationally) in comparison with others
Influence better policy making by creating more appropriate recommendations and advocacy narratives
Attract more funding and to help make your work more financially sustainable (and impactful for your audiences)
Identify gaps and capitalise on opportunities to create impact through your work
Improve your organisation’s processes and ways of learning and improving
Next steps
Watch our introductory webinar on Europeana Pro where we explore what impact means for us. What’s in the name - what impact means for us | Europeana PRO
See what was discussed in our research and impact symposiumResearch and Digital Cultural Heritage: New Impact Horizons | Europeana PRO
Read these interviews to learn why and how institutions are thinking about and measuring their impact
Helen Hardy at the Natural History Museum, London, describes what they’ve learned about the economic impact of digitisation
Maaike Verberk outlines impact awareness training and what it means for DEN in the Netherlands
Ana Aziza at the Fondation du Patrimoine shares how impact assessment helps us to understand the value of built cultural heritage