Theory of change
Making a difference takes planning.
A theory of change describes how your organisation or project aims to bring about social impact. It is a multi-purpose tool, helping to articulate your mission, refine your strategy, and provide a roadmap for impact measurement.
Theory of change never fails to create value for charities and funders.
Through training, direct support, and free resources, we can show you how.
Key tools and resources for theory of change
Theory of change in ten steps
This new guide is a ten step handbook to creating a theory of change, built on many years of developing them for charities and funders. It will teach you the basics, our core approach, with the information you need to do any theory of change.
Mechanisms – A missing component in your theory of change?
Theory of change mechanisms are where you describe how you want people to engage with your activities; the kind of relationship you establish; and the thought processes you want them to go through in order to achieve the outcomes and impact you want.
How to do a basic theory of change
James Noble introduces NPC's new thinking on theory of change.
Theory of change: The beginning of making a difference
A decade ago, the term ‘theory of change’ meant little to the UK charity sector. Seen as a piece of American evaluation jargon, it did not conjure up much enthusiasm. But today, more and more charities are using theories of change, and more and more funders are asking to see them. So what is a theory of change, and why is it so valuable?
Creating your theory of change: NPC’s practical guide
A theory of change is a tool that allows you to describe the need you are trying to address, the changes you want to make (your outcomes), and what you plan to do (your activities). It can help you improve your strategy, measurement, communication and partnership working.
Long read: Theories of change are here to stay
The theory of change approach has been around for a while now, and many charities use it to help them be more strategic about their work and their impact measurement. But it has had its fair share of criticism and skepticism over the years. Here, NPC's Impact Management Lead James Noble tackles some of these challenges, and remakes the case for charities to develop theories of change to help guide their work.
Events and training
Creating a theory of change: An introduction for charities
This one day training with talk you through implementing a clear and robust theory of change that can help to develop and refine your strategy.
Thinking big in your theory of change
Are you an organisation with a mission to tackle large and complex social issues? This workshop is aimed at organisations wanting to think big in their theory of change: to influence lasting social change in a complex area.
Trustees and theory of change: Everything you need to know
A theory of change describes what an organisation wants to achieve and how it plans to get there. Learn how it can be used to refine your strategy and improve your impact.
Find out how we can help you
We offer tailored support to help you create a theory of change that helps you work towards your mission and make an impact.
Get in touchSolarAid used the theory of change work that NPC did to really get to grips with how we needed to go about measuring our work.
