Durability Academy

Program components

To achieve lasting impact, your organization needs clear alignment between its mission, vision, and strategy, all focused on long-term durability.

• In this module, you’ll define what durable impact means for your organization and assess how well your current approach supports it.
• You’ll strengthen three key foundations: clarifying the long-term outcomes you aim to achieve, mapping essential stakeholder relationships, and evaluating whether your tools and systems can support sustained impact. 
• You’ll revisit your existing Theory of Change—not to rebuild it, but to ensure it reflects your commitment to durability. This isn’t a Theory of Change workshop; it’s a chance to update your impact framework so it better supports strategic alignment, internal decision-making, and external communication.
• By the end of the module, you’ll have a clearer picture of how durability fits into your broader goals and a realistic view of what needs to be built or strengthened to move forward.

Our second unit will begin with a “headlines” exercise to ground this effort in your desired impact outcomes. As we progress toward durability data collection, we will work backwards from these headlines to ensure your data will answer the right questions.

• Based on your Theory of Change and the core indicators you already measure, we will jointly co-create the full-fledged impact data framework and general survey topics for your organization spanning breadth (reach), depth (short-term level of impact), and durability (medium and long-term impact) outcomes. 
• Using this, we will develop, refine and expand your impact framework and metrics to comprehensively but efficiently measure medium and long-term outcomes.

In this unit, you will translate your updated data framework to practice through finalizing all aspects of your survey.

• We will explore various data collection methods (qualitative vs. quantitative), processes (frequency, distribution channels, etc.), and tools. 
• We will also develop strategies to ensure the quality of the data we collect is high, including learning about survey administration best practices, how to boost response rate, and how to measure data quality. 
• We will discuss sample design and construction, and you will decide the best option for your organization. Based on this information, you will finalize your survey questionnaires, align with internal leadership on budget, and make any final decisions (e.g., impact trackers or add-ons). 
• The unit culminates in the launch of your survey and the start of data collection. 

Now that you have launched your survey, the focus shifts to maintaining momentum, tracking quality, and responding to emergent issues in real-time.

• This unit supports teams to actively monitor incoming data, manage operations (vendors, enumerators, in-house teams. etc.) and troubleshoot early warning signs. 
• Through live discussion, structured guidance, and case studies, you will build the confidence and capabilities to adapt and improve survey execution while it’s live.

With survey data now collected (or in early stages of return), this unit focuses on turning that data into actionable insight, compelling stories, and strategic decisions.

• You will develop an analysis plan aligned with your Theory of Change and organizational headlines, grounded in both internal needs and external benchmarks. 
• In addition, you will start to make meaningful decisions based on your durability outcomes, bringing your data to life through action. This is where data becomes narrative that can be used to drive programs, engage leadership, and mobilize funders. 
• We’ll also explore how to share and sustain learning across your organization.

This final unit marks the transition from project-based execution to long-term integration.

• You will reflect on your journey, plan how to embed durability measurement into ongoing organizational practices, and identify opportunities to deepen, scale, and sustain your impact.
• The focus is on building internal capacity, aligning leadership, and engaging with a broader community of practice. 
• We also look ahead to more advanced applications of the data, such as evaluations, counterfactuals, or ROI modeling. 
• You will learn how you can sustain your involvement in the durability movement and amplify the work of the Collective.