From evidence to influence:
what we’ve learned about scaling innovation
25 August 2026
This October, Jonathan Tan, CEO of Greater Change, will join us at NPC Ignites to share what the organisation has learned about scaling innovation through evidence. In this guest blog, Kim Nicholson and Nell Davies-Small from Greater Change explore the story behind that learning, and what it means for charities seeking to grow their impact responsibly.
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Homelessness in England has reached critical levels. Over 300,000 households, including 170,000 children, are currently affected. Local authorities spend more than £2.8bn annually on temporary accommodation, with London alone spending £90m each month. Yet thousands remain trapped in homelessness because of relatively small financial barriers, from rent deposits and identification documents to the basic furnishings needed to make a house a home.
Testing a different response to homelessness
Greater Change began with a simple idea. While volunteering at a homelessness charity based in Oxford, founders Jonathan Tan and Alex McCallion noticed an overwhelming number of people facing homelessness because of these practical financial barriers that existing services could not address. They asked a simple question: what if people experiencing homelessness were trusted to decide what support they needed to move forward? From there, Greater Change created its model.
We work alongside support workers, local authorities and partner organisations to identify the financial barriers preventing people from moving forward. Together, clients and their support workers develop a personalised budget, which Greater Change assesses and funds through its partner organisations. This enables people to access the practical support they need, whether that’s purchasing essential furnishings, accessing mental health support or covering the cost of a rent deposit.
But belief, powerful stories and a growing dataset only took Greater Change so far. Like many innovative organisations, we reached a point where early success was no longer enough. To attract serious investment and grow responsibly, we needed evidence that demonstrated that personalised budgets worked, why they worked, and why they mattered within the wider homelessness system.
Building evidence as we learned
We quickly learned that collecting numbers was only the starting point. Knowing how many people we supported mattered, but those figures alone could not explain why personalised budgets worked or the gaps in the system they helped address. Building evidence meant connecting each grant to the barrier it removed, the outcome that followed and the wider costs to the public purse that could be avoided. It also meant testing assumptions, following people’s progress and being honest about where the model didn’t work as well.
Data records what happens. Evidence tells the story of how and why it happens, creating the foundation needed to challenge and improve existing systems.
So, what did we learn?
For us, scaling innovation is not just about proving that something works, but about building the evidence, relationships and confidence needed for others to act on it – lessons that we’ll be bringing into the Ignites 2026 discussion.
Ignites 2026: Tuesday, 13th October
A date for anyone committed to the future of the impact economy!
Design evidence around the decision you want to influence
One of our biggest lessons has been that evidence is only valuable if it helps someone decide. Before collecting data, ask what decision you’re trying to influence. Is it a local authority deciding whether to commission a service? A funder considering an investment? Or a policymaker thinking about how a national system should change?
Once we understood the decision we wanted to influence, it became much clearer what evidence was needed. Local authorities wanted to understand demand, costs and implementation. Philanthropic funders wanted confidence in the organisation’s potential to create lasting change. Policymakers needed evidence that personalised budgets could strengthen existing systems rather than operate alongside them. The underlying evidence remained consistent, but the questions – and therefore the way we communicated it – were different.
Tailoring evidence in this way transformed it from a reporting tool into a lever for change. Rather than simply demonstrating impact, it helped build partnerships, attract investment and influence decisions that shape how homelessness services are designed and delivered.
Ultimately, evidence became a way of contributing to wider systems change, not just organisational growth.
All good work needs great champions
The strongest evidence can still go unnoticed if people aren’t willing to champion it.
Greater Change has learned the importance of intentionally building relationships with trusted stakeholders who understand the model, believe in its potential and are prepared to advocate for it. This starts with identifying the right people. When seeking legislative change, for example, this means mapping relevant stakeholders and approaching them in a way that demonstrates an understanding of their priorities.
By investing in these relationships and consistently involving supporters in our work, we have built a network of champions whose knowledge, networks and advocacy help carry our evidence into new spaces.
Building an evidence base takes time, and it rarely feels urgent when organisations are focused on delivery.
Yet for charities hoping to scale innovative ideas, evidence is far more than a reporting requirement.
It is the foundation for building trust, attracting investment and influencing the systems they exist to improve.
For Greater Change, evidence didn’t just help prove our model; it helped us change the conversation around what personalised support can make possible.
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