Since 2017 we’ve helped over 100 social-purpose organisations on their impact journey, from end-to-end. Our work begins with the formulation of impact strategy and follows through to the management of impact data.
We facilitate problem-solving processes that increase operational effectiveness, provide upskilling in the important tools of the trade, and use data to give greater credibility to the organisation’s value creation message. 

Goodlabs’ founder and MD is Matt Wilson. He has over 25 years’ experience working for and with charitable organisations. Serving as a senior charity executive (inc. CEO) he delivered successful interventions in the arena of children, youth, family, education, social enterprise and employability.

Over the years Matt saw many organisations seemingly doing fantastic work and yet struggling to evidence the difference they were making in a way that would convince key funders and stakeholders. In 2017 he established Goodlabs in order to offer targeted support in this critical area. In the last seven years Goodlabs has provided support to dozens of organisations including charities, social enterprises, for-profit businesses and public sector bodies. Key areas of support include:

• Writing new Strategic Plans with impact as their guiding star

• Producing Theory of Change models that illustrate how impact is being made

• Developing Outcome Frameworks that enable evidence of impact to be coherently categorised and reported on

• Supporting organisations to transition to managing their impact using a CRM system. In 2022 we were proud to launch our own CRM product, Cimpl, powered by Salesforce.

Key partners

Matt is a longstanding external consultancy provider with the Lloyds Bank Foundation delivering impact management assignments for charities receiving support from the LBF ‘Enhance’ programme. Our Cimpl CRM application is one of only a small number of charity-specific systems endorsed and supported by LBF.

In our technical data work we are proud to work with a number of expert partners…

CRM systems and Data Management

Many organisations are fighting a losing battle against an array of complicated spreadsheets. Working this way is both insecure from a data point of view and inefficient in terms of actually managing large numbers of client interactions. Goodlabs has connections with the leading software providers in the field of impact measurement, and a particular specialism in Salesforce. If you want to make your qualitative and quantitative data more transparent using state-of-the-art dashboards and reporting tools check out our bespoke CRM product: Cimpl.

Sectors served

Nonprofit

In order to stay relevant Charities and Social Enterprises often require external consultancy support to keep pace with changing expectations around social impact and social value. Funders, commissioners and investors frequently require detailed monitoring to be in place.

A strategic impact review from Goodlabs can typically be undertaken in around 3-5 days depending on the scale of the organisation. Our multi-dimensional diagnostic tool is used to identifying areas of competency with recommendations around development potential. The review process can be augmented with development workshops for the staff and board, plus ongoing coaching for senior executives if required.

Corporate

Many businesses are rightly concerned to ensure that as well as creating profit they also benefit the communities they serve. Support from Goodlabs ensures these efforts are meaningful and successful for all parties involved.

We’re particularly interested in helping business clients to figure out the ‘S’ of CSR – the social dimensions of being a responsible business. In recent years there has been a growing sense of dissatisfaction with a ‘box ticking’ approach to charity support and employee volunteering. If you’re serious about making a positive contribution to society we’d be delighted to help you deliver on that ambition.  

Public Sector

Our relationship with the Public Sector typically involves acting in the role of Independent Evaluation and/or Learning Partner. Given the considerable pressures on budgets, combined with the high level of fiscal scrutiny partners such as Local Authorities and NHS Trusts need to know that their work, whether directly delivered or externally procured, is achieving its intended aims.

Beginning with the drafting of evaluation frameworks and progressing to design and deliver fieldwork Goodlabs, along with our associates, has the research skills to ensure that results are reliably reported and learning effectively captured.

The programmes we support are commonly longitudinal in nature, extending over multi-year time frames. Our input if often provided in the form of design support in the preparation stage of a new programme of work, ongoing monitoring during its period of being live, and final evaluation at the conclusion of the work.