Measuring and Documenting Impact

Why measurement wins

The judging guidelines instruct judges to compare data carefully and evaluate impact on the total number of people engaged. Executive summary question 5 asks directly how your team measures impact. Teams that can answer with real metrics consistently out-compete teams that speak in vague superlatives.

Track Reach correctly all season

Use the official Reached definition: the number of people who observed or interacted with your team, with tangible metrics. Set up a simple shared spreadsheet logged after every activity:

• Event/medium (e.g., FLL qualifier, library demo, Instagram series).
• Date.
• People reached, using the conservative method FIRST describes — count people who actually saw your exhibit, not total event attendance; count social engagement, not raw follower counts (a post seen by 1,000 followers where 500 engaged = 500 reached).
• Basis for the estimate (organizer's attendance figure, analytics screenshot).
• Documentation link.

FIRST warns teams not to embellish or exaggerate these numbers and to estimate on the low end. Conservative, documented numbers survive Q&A; inflated ones collapse under one judge question.

Measure outcomes, not just reach

Reach is how many people you touched; outcomes are what changed. The "Inspiring the STEM Future" column lists outcomes judges care about: increased interest in STEM, more college-bound students, and new life skills (time management, problem-solving, communication, teamwork). Capture these with:

• Surveys of FLL/FTC students you mentor (before/after interest in STEM).
• Alumni tracking (how many pursue STEM majors or careers).
• Retention and growth data for programs and team membership.

A judge feedback example explicitly advises teams to track the impact of their FIRST activities on participants, school, and community at large, and to find activities that provide positive outcomes they can measure.

Build the documentation habit

The definitions document encourages proof for every category and notes that documented evidence and breakdowns of Reach numbers are far more compelling than simply stating an estimated Reach. Assign a student or subteam to:

• Request a confirmation letter or email after every Started/Mentored/Hosted activity.
• Screenshot analytics monthly.
• File everything in a shared drive, organized by the official definition buckets.

Close the loop each year

At season's end, review which programs produced the best measured outcomes and which underperformed (executive summary question 12 asks where you need to improve). Drop or redesign weak programs and double down on high-impact ones. This data-driven cycle is itself evidence of a mature, role-model team — exactly what the award recognizes.