Theory of Change resources for charities

Below are links to some of the Theory of Change guidance, tools and examples that we make use of or have been inspired by. Please contact us if you'd like to discuss how we can help you develop or refresh a Theory of Change for your charity or programme.

The Center for Theory of Change (US) has an explanation of the origins of the approach and a long list of the benefits of a Theory of Change.

This Third Sector podcast is a great listen, discovering how the Duke of Edinburgh's Award has benefitted from Theory of Change.

NPC's Theory of Change in ten steps is a great place to start, as is their guidance on Theory of Change for campaigning.

NCVO also has a dedicated page on the approach including advice on different ways to use Theory of Change. 

The Government Analysis Function has detailed guidance on each element of a Theory of Change. It was written for civil servants but has a lot of helpful detail for anyone to use.

We have our own Clear Outcomes 20 point Theory of Change checklist but here are some others:

EvalCommunity Theory of Change checklist

USAID's checklist - not all of it is relevant to UK charities but it sets a high standard to aim for.

Six pitfalls to avoid when developing a Theory of Change from the Bridgespan Group, and in similar vein, eight common mistakes highlighted by the Social Innovation Partnership.

Microsoft Word is perfectly fine for developing a Theory of Change and it's what we routinely use. But there are a range of specialist tools including:

TOCO software from the Centre for Theory of Change (paid for).

Theorymaker, an AI driven app from Causal Map Limited.

Theory of Change for Miro, the AI workspace.

A Theory of Change template produced by Nesta, the research and innovation foundation.

A Theory of Change tool that is part of Belong's Power of Sport toolkit.

Another Third Sector podcast discusses how Theory of Change has helped two charities in their impact measurement and programme evaluation.

Fairtrade has an interactive Theory of Change on their website - the only one we've seen.

We especially like the Refugee Council's Theory of Change and how they have explained in plain language the process of developing one.