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Outputs and outcomes guidance

24 April 2020

These words (outputs and outcomes) appear frequently in the world of fundraising and are key to writing clear funding applications.

Outputs and outcomes: these two words appear frequently in the world of fundraising and particularly when applying for grants. Being able to understand the difference between outputs and outcomes is key to writing clear funding applications.

These terms help funders to understand exactly what kind of activity or work your church wants to do, the impacts and benefits that it will bring or changes that it will make to your local community.

Having knowledge about outputs and outcomes will also help you clearly identify and plan your project activity. This will help you to focus on the number of activities you want to offer, how much they will cost and what resources you will need. Identifying these key points will help you and your church to shape your project.

An output or an outcome? An important distinction

If you can clearly articulate your project outputs and outcomes, your application is more likely to be understood by a potential funder. In turn, this can make them more inclined to support your project.

Some funders such as the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) base their entire grant-making criteria (and therefore grant committee decision-making) around outcomes. How well a proposed project can articulate its outcomes will influence the success or failure of an application. NLHF also expects to see clearly defined outputs.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund website has useful guidance on how to meet their outcomes criteria. The guidance is relevant when applying to all potential funders.

Thinking about outputs and outcomes from the outset of your project helps you define the impact your project will have. Reporting your impact is a key part of successful fundraising and important to grant funders. Understanding more about project planning and impact reporting will help you to write a stronger application. Benefact Trust has a range of advice and resources including a blog post from the Church Urban Fund on evaluation for churches.

How to distinguish outputs from outcomes

An output is the services or goods that are delivered. An outcome is the difference the output will make. The examples below provide a quick and easy way to remember the difference between an output and an outcome:

The output of your church’s foodbank may be that 50 emergency food parcels are delivered. The outcome is that families across the community don’t go hungry or into debt to buy food.
The output of your church posting leaflets may be that you have contacted an additional 100 people to connect them to an online Sunday worship service. The outcome is more connected, fewer socially isolated people with higher levels of wellbeing during social distancing.
The output of your church’s youth programme may be that 10 teenagers talk to a youth worker. The outcome is more young people have increased self-esteem and improved social skills.

Find out more

A dedicated helpline has been set up to help support churches with the fundraising hub. If you or your church would like support with our online resources please request a call back via the church fundraising helpline. And don’t forget to keep checking the fundraising hub for more updates!

0345 601 9959

Alternatively, use our online form and one of our Church Insurance Consultants will call you back:

Request call back

Top tips for fundraising by churches

Key steps and suggestions for you and your church to take for successful fundraising.

List of grant funders for churches

A collated list of the top funders that support churches and are currently offering grants. Use our search function to find potential grants for your church.

Researching possible donors and funders

Successful fundraising and grant applications begin with research into possible donors and funders.

Case for support guidance for churches

Regardless of which funder or donor you approach, you will need to have a clear and compelling case for support. This will act as a foundation for all your fundraising and is key to achieving successful applications.

Checklist for grant applications

After researching possible funders and grants for your church, use this checklist to identify some key points to consider before making an application.