Launch in: 81 days 10 hours
“I wrote The Difference to help more charities, social enterprises, business, funders, local authorities and Governments truly understand, measure and maximise the difference they are making in the world by keeping things simple, pragmatic and focused.”
Pre-order the book today
"What I love about Matt’s book is that it not only offers practical, real-world examples of how we can evidence and report social impact more effectively, but it also dismantles the myth that doing so must be complex, time-consuming or costly"
"The book is pragmatic, thoughtful and an inspiration to us all, wherever we are. This book, if read and implemented, will create important shifts; a priority read for anyone serious about creating positive societal change."
"Matt has provided a practical, inspiring guide that strips away complexity…Essential reading for leaders serious about delivering work that matters in the real world beyond fancy reports and complicated (yet unenlightening) board papers"
Free first chapter
Book Summary
What if the organisations we work for, volunteer for, and support had a much simpler way of understanding, measuring and maximising the difference they made in the world? And what if we could cut through complication and put social impact at the heart of our strategies?
This is easier to do than ever before, but very few organisations manage it. As you will discover in the book, this is largely due to impact measurement being over-complicated, not central to strategy, and not prioritised.
I want to change that.
The Difference guides you through a proven and tested three step approach to more pragmatic and focused social impact:
Increasingly, more and more leaders are recognising that impact should be at the heart of strategy for their organisations. For too long, organisations have focused more on what they do rather than the difference they make. This is changing.
Just because you can measure something, doesn’t mean you should measure something. Deciding what to measure and how to measure it can be a recipe for complication. That’s why it is so important to keep measurement focused, and why relying on stories and output numbers alone isn’t enough.
All too often, organisations limit their maximisation efforts to their annual impact report or social media posts. Bringing your focused impact data to life with live data visualisation and telling a clearer impact story in real-time can be so much more powerful than just an annual report.
Corporates, businesses, public sector bodies, charities and social investment organisations are full of beautiful glossy reports. There’s a lot of noise about impact measurement, and a lot of time spent trying to prove the difference made, but how successful is it all actually.
The Difference challenges you to keep things simple, to focus on your ‘north star’, and only measure the things that matter.
The book’s innovative approach centres around team alignment on one clear core purpose, developing a measurement framework that focuses on the 3-5 things that really matter, and creating beautiful live data visualisations to bring your impact story to life in real-time
The final part of The Difference is dedicated to the nuances and unique circumstances of social impact in different sectors. Whether you are a large corporate or sports organisation, a public sector agency or funder, a small charity or a global social investor, the book takes a look at each sector’s unique difference
Includes 23 real world examples of organisations who have successfully taken a more simple and pragmatic approach to understanding, measuring and maximising their social impact. From FTSE 100 corporations to a range of small and large charities, the case studies in The Difference bring a simpler impact approach to life.
Throughout the book you will find a series of reflections and next steps to help you and your team think clearly about the changes you might make to improve your alignment and focus on clearer and simpler impact measurement.
Social impact isn’t the sole domain of charities or NGOs. The Difference is relevant for all types of organisations trying to make change in the world. Whatever your role, and whoever you work for, if you care about understanding, measuring and maximising social impact then this book is for you!
About the author
Matt Stevenson-Dodd is founder and chief executive of Trust Impact, a consultancy helping organisations build trust through innovative impact measurement and reporting.
With a 30+ year career as chief executive of some of the UK’s most impactful and innovative social impact organisations, Matt is now trusted by the CEOs, boards, chairs and senior leaders of hundreds of organisations around the world to help find pragmatic solutions to understanding, measuring and maximising their social impact. He works across the private, public and not-for-profit sectors, helping organisations answer one simple question: ‘Do we actually make any difference?’
With clients including Cancer Research UK, Crown Estate, Duke of Edinburgh International, Refugee Council, RSPCA, Cambridge City Council and Shell, Trust Impact has disrupted traditional and complicated impact measurement with a much simpler and more strategic offer.
In 2020 Matt was made a Member of the Venerable Order of Saint John for his service as a trustee of St John Ambulance and was awarded ‘Highly Commended’ in the global Association of MBA’s ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ award 2024. In 2012, he secured the first ever charity volunteering partnership with No 10 Downing Street.
All of this is underpinned by a strong academic record, which includes an MBA with Distinction from Nottingham University Business School and a scholarship to Harvard Business School.
Matt has been a guest on numerous social impact and leadership podcasts around the world, written articles for national newspapers as well as relevant sector press and speaks at national and international conferences.
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"For anyone working in civil society, our primary focus surely must be how to improve the impact of our work - for the causes and people for whom our organizations exist. Matt’s book is focused, accessible, instructive and insightful about the power of emerging technologies in the pursuit of better impact. I recommend it to anyone who wants to make the world a better place. "
"The advice in ‘The Difference’ is relevant for both commercial enterprises and NGOs. Matt demystifies impact measurement, his approach is grounded in simplicity and alignment, and the frameworks for understanding impact are as valuable for founders as they are for charity leaders. A pragmatic and insightful guide from someone who knows what it takes to turn good intentions into tangible outcomes. I recommend this book to anyone serious about making a genuine difference."
"At a time when civil society organisations are needing to deliver ever more with increasingly less and are also being asked to give greater attention to the reporting of their impact, Matt has provided a practical, inspiring guide that strips away complexity and shows how any organisation can understand, measure, and maximise its impact with clarity, simplicity, and purpose. Essential reading for leaders serious about delivering work that matters in the real world beyond fancy reports and complicated (yet unenlightening) board papers."
"Not sure where to start with your impact reporting or even what questions to ask? Start here. Want hope that good people are doing good work and want to share their learnings? Want real-world application of how to move your impact thinking from complicated and complex to clear and concise? Well, buy this book. Matt helps you see the wood for the trees and provides easy checklists to help you take your first steps. "
"Matt courageously lays out the elements of impact that make a real difference. Beyond simply measuring and reporting impact, his book fills in the missing pieces: courage to align on purpose, willingness to admit and learn from failure, and the clarity to be intentional about genuinely making a difference. I have been a CEO in the sector in Australia for 25 years and I wish I’d had access to Matt’s book and expertise a decade ago - but it’s never too late to start making a better difference. "
"What I love about Matt’s book is that it not only offers practical, real-world examples of how we can evidence and report social impact more effectively, but it also dismantles the myth that doing so must be complex, time-consuming or costly. Matt shows with refreshing clarity that meaningful measurement doesn’t have to be any of these things. By exploring the many ways high-quality impact data can strengthen our work—from helping us prioritise time and resources, to building trust with beneficiaries, partners and donors—this guide sparks the realisation that even modest steps in measurement can generate significant returns. The message is simple and empowering: just give it a go."
"Matt’s straight-talking handbook gets to the heart of the issues and more importantly shows how to crack the age-old problem of reporting impact. The book walks us through the steps to building a compelling, evidence-based approach to narrating our charities’ work; good, bad and indifferent. A brilliant, honest and practical approach to telling the story of change. "
"I always know a book is good when I am not regularly checking my phone in case something interesting is happening on it. I know a book is very good when it makes me take action. 'The Difference' both kept my attention and inspired me to take action. Matt combines sensible, practical advice with inspiring case studies that bring the framework and concepts to life. All of us serious about creating social value owe Matt a debt of thanks for writing this guide to help us get better at maximising our impact."
"The breadth of Matt’s career experience shines throughout this book. He is empathetic for those of us who are time-limited, over-stretched and operating within limited resources. It’s encouraging and motivating rather than daunting or overwhelming. The book is pragmatic, thoughtful and an inspiration to us all, wherever we are. This book, if read and implemented, will create important shifts; a priority read for anyone serious about creating positive societal change."
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