Section 4: Topic 2
Identifying goals for specific beneficiaries
The first step in this tool is to identify specific impact goals and the group who will benefit from the achievement of those impacts. An impact goal should always be a benefit. Based on that definition, reaching people, “dissemination” or social media metrics are not impact goals because there is no way of knowing whether anyone who so reached actually benefited as a result. For all you know, they may have been unable to understand, misunderstood it or been bored or offended by it. You need to engage with the media with a clear impact goal in mind, for example, you may want to:
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Raise awareness about an important but little-known issue
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Enable people to understand something or change their thinking about something important
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Change opinions and attitudes that are limiting people or causing harm
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Mobilise action or change behaviours in individuals or households
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Influence decisions by people with power to affect broader positive change
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