Social Impact Measurement
Professional Certificate
100% of Subject Matter Experts consulted during program development said they would be “Extremely Likely” or “Very Likely” to recommend this program to their colleagues.
Learning Outcomes
This University of St. Michael’s College Certificate equips learners with the essential skills to create, implement, assess, and communicate a Social Impact Measurement Strategy for a new program, or to modify or evaluate an existing one. Through a blend of on-line and in-person sessions, participants will:
Create Impact Frameworks
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Evaluate Appropriate Metrics
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Analyze Impact
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Apply Insights
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Understand the Landscape
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Gain a complete Social Impact Measurement toolbox with expert guidance to build or renovate your measurement strategy from the ground up.
Navigate complex challenges like reporting long-term impact with short-term data, creating concrete measures from qualitative information, and demonstrating business value in social contexts.
Join today to acquire a superstar team that will help you develop a credible, business-aligned, peer-reviewed Social Impact Measurement strategy unlike any other program available.
Who is Attending?
Participants in this program have been from: Sustainable Finance and Financial Services: Aviso, Sustainalytics, Kindred Credit Union, Allstate Insurance Company of Canada, Sunlife Financial. Alcohol and Gaming: LCBO, Alcool NB Liquor, Sleeman Breweries. Municipalities: City of Kingston, City of Oshawa. Health and Health Care: Eli Lilly Canada. Telecommunications and IT: TELUS. Professional Services: Faculty 21 Inc., Distill Consulting. Lactalis Canada. Charities and Non-Profits: Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities, Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, East Scarborough Storefront, Salvation Army, Downtown Yonge Business Improvement Area, The King’s Trust Canada, Red Cross of Canada
Participant titles: Senior Advisor, Data Insight & Social Impact; Partnership & Grant Manager, Community Investment Professional, Principal Consultant, Senior Analyst, ESG; Head of Corporate and External Affairs; Management Consultant, Manager – Communications; Manager, Social Impact; Corporate Social Responsibility – Team Lead; Director, Outreach and Strategy; Director, Programming Manager.
What Participants Say
“I had several ‘light bulb’ moments during this course that have made a difference in the way I think about social impact measurement. It was also a great opportunity to build connections with peers in the sector.”
“I felt this set a very strong foundation for how I now understand social impact measurement that I can directly apply to my work. Coming into the course, I thought I knew more than I did and it was a humbling experience to realize how much I don’t know and how much more I need to learn. This set me on the right path and gave me a lot of information that I can refer back to over time.”
“These experiences have sharpened my ability to connect mission-driven initiatives with measurable impact and evidence-based storytelling. I’m excited to apply these insights toward more transparent and accountable social impact practice.”
“This module really helped me translate the concepts around a Theory of Change into application. Using your own case study, and learning more about the case studies your peers are working on makes it very practical. I also really appreciated that the weekly recommended assignments were all mini parts to the final assignment. That way by doing a little each week, you could get feedback on how you were progressing. This process also made the final assignment way more manageable to complete.”
Course Modules & Content
- Blended
- Delivered in 5 Modules that build on one another or can be taken as individual courses.
- Module 1: Fundamentals of Social Impact Measurement – June 10 & 11, 2026, In-person at USMC
- Module 2: Theory of Change & Social Impact Applications – Oct 7 – Nov 6, 2026, synchronous online sessions (Tuesday & Thursday, 12 noon – 1:30 pm ET)
- Module 3: Developing a Metric/Indicators Data Collection Strategy – November 18 & 19, In-person at USMC
- Module 4: Business Value and Impact Case for Social Impact Measurement
Apr 28–May 19, 2026, synchronous online sessions (7 lectures, Tuesday & Thursday, 12 noon -1:30 pm) - Module 5: Social Impact Reporting & Communication Strategies – June 2–23, synchronous sessions (7 lectures, Tuesday & Thursday, 12 noon -1:30 pm)
In this module, embrace the concepts that underpin a successful, impactful, business aligned and resilient social impact strategy or program.
Complete a detailed exploration of the theory of change, logic models and reverse logic models. Examine their different applications, and elements. Understand their central roles in analyzing and developing detailed social impact intervention objectives within the context of your organization’s strategy. Apply the Logic Model and Theory of Change to your organization.
Create the first iteration of a data collection strategy for your social impact program or project.
Create a business and impact case for senior leaders that articulates the added business value and costs associated with your social impact program initiative.
Create a plan to leverage technology to collect, compile, analyze and communicate reliable and credible data on the outcome-oriented metrics selected. Address and resolve the weak points in your business case based on the Culminating Assessment from Module 4, and further develop your data collection plan by examining comparators/benchmarking data.