Impact Measurement
Karma’s impact measurement system helps program operators define, collect, and analyze the outputs and outcomes of funded projects using standardized and custom indicators.
Karma includes built-in impact measurement features that help program operators and grantees track, verify, and communicate the real-world impact of funded projects.
The system is inspired by the Common Impact Data Standard (CIDS), a widely used framework for structuring impact around outputs, outcomes, and indicators. Karma adapts these ideas into a practical, onchain-native workflow suitable for web3 programs.
Core Concepts
Before configuring impact measurement, it’s important to understand the core concepts used in Karma.
Activities
Activities describe what was directly produced by a project using the funding it received.
Examples:
Code written
Features shipped
Research completed
Events organized
Activities answer the question:
“What did the grantee actually do?”
Outcomes
Outcomes describe the change or effect that resulted from those outputs.
Examples:
Increased network usage
Improved developer adoption
Economic growth
Environmental or social change
Outcomes answer the question:
“Why did those outputs matter?”
Indicators
In Karma, the metrics used to measure outputs and outcomes are called Indicators.
Indicators can be:
Predefined (automatically tracked by Karma)
Custom (manually reported by grantees)
Indicators make impact measurable, comparable, and verifiable.
Example: Activities, Outcomes, and Indicators
Imagine you fund a project to build an onchain application.
Activity Developer activity in your ecosystem
Activity Indicators
GitHub commits
Pull requests merged
Outcome Increased economic activity in the network
Outcome Indicators
Number of transactions
Total Value Locked (TVL)
This separation allows you to clearly see:
What work was done (outputs)
What change that work created (outcomes)
Step-by-Step: Setting Up Impact Measurement
Step 1: Categorize Funded Projects
Programs often fund many different types of projects, and impact indicators are rarely one-size-fits-all. The first step is to categorize your projects.
How to do this
Go to Categories in your admin dashboard
Click Add Category and add one or more categories (e.g. Developer Tools, Infrastructure, Community, Research)
Assign one or more categories to each funded project
Categories determine which outputs, outcomes, and indicators are available later.
Step 2: Define Activities, Outcomes, and Indicators
Once categories are set up, you can define how impact is measured for each category.
How to do this
Go to Impact Measurement page from admin dashboard
Select a Category
Add Activities by clicking on Create Activity/Outcome button
Choose a name and description (this will be displayed on impact dashboard on your community page)
Assign indicators from the dropdown by using the toggle.
If an indicator is not found, you can Add new custom indicator
Save the Activity
Repeat the same to add more activities or outcomes
Using Predefined Indicators
If you select a predefined indicator, Karma will automatically pull the data.
Examples:
GitHub Commits, PRs merged
Onchain Txns
What grantees must do
Link their GitHub repositories
Link relevant smart contracts
Karma handles the data collection once links are provided.
Using Custom Indicators
If no predefined indicator fits your needs, you can create a custom indicator.
Examples:
Number of workshops conducted
Partnerships formed
Users onboarded offchain
How it works
Grantees manually input values
Data is submitted as part of project updates or milestone completion
This gives you flexibility without losing structure.
Step 3: View Impact at the Community Level
Once impact measurement is configured and grantees begin reporting, you can view aggregated impact data.
How to do this
Go to Community Page
Open the Impact tab
Here you can see:
Activity metrics across projects
Outcomes generated by the program
Indicator values over time
How Grantees Report Impact
When grantees:
Post project updates
Complete milestones
They are prompted to:
Select relevant Indicators
Enter or confirm indicator values
Submit supporting context where required
This ensures impact data is:
Collected continuously
Tied to real project activity
Comparable across projects and rounds
Best Practices for Program Operators
Keep indicators simple: Fewer, high-signal metrics are better than many vague ones
Separate outputs and outcomes clearly: Avoid mixing activity with impact
Reuse categories across programs/rounds: This enables longitudinal analysis
Default to predefined indicators where possible: They reduce reporting burden and improve data quality
Summary
Karma’s impact measurement system allows you to:
Structure impact using industry-standard concepts
Automatically track onchain and offchain activity
Collect comparable, auditable data from grantees
Generate clear impact narratives for funders and stakeholders
Impact measurement is not just reporting — it’s how programs learn, improve, and earn trust.
Last updated