Why We Map Before We Measure

So often in our work, we’re asked to prove before we’ve had a chance to pause. To quantify change before we’ve understood what shifted, for whom, and why it mattered.

The Impact Constellation was born from this gap: a simple mapping tool that helps us slow down, zoom out, and witness the full story around a moment of change. Not just the outcome, but the relationships, signals, tensions, and unseen forces that made it possible.

It’s not a replacement for measurement. It’s a reminder that what we measure should be grounded in what we notice. Before the theory of change, before the indicators, there’s a story. This tool helps you honour that.

Use it with your team, with community workers, or even alone, when you need to make sense of the deeper impact your work is holding.

This tool is shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

It’s part of our commitment to open, accessible knowledge for practitioners. You’re welcome to use and adapt it with attribution, especially in learning, research, and community practice contexts.

Download the toolkit below.

Mudito - Impact Constellation Toolkit.

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