Better understanding and measuring progress is an important part of strengthening narrative change strategies. This brief offers insights into some of the questions facing practitioners, funders, and others interested in measuring this kind of work: How do you lay the foundations for successful measurement? What short- and longer-term signals can you look for to indicate that things are moving in the right direction? And how can you understand the impact of narrative change efforts when they’re happening in complex, dynamic environments?

In this companion piece to “Not Always Movements: Multiple Strategies to Advance Large-Scale Social Change”, we dive a little deeper into building fields. We outline some key theories and frameworks that underlie this approach, outcomes to look for, considerations regarding equity, and guidance on measurement and learning along the way. It is intended as a bite-sized introduction to key concepts around field building, to support further exploration and engagement.