Welcome to another installment of Intention 2 Impact’s Heart-2-Heart — our monthly newsletter where we share what’s on our mind, in our hearts, and up our sleeves.

This month, we’re diving deep into how to measure systems change without losing our sanity, hearing from Victoria on what it’s like to work inside a values-driven firm, and gearing up for one of our favorite I2I traditions: our Pay Her Forward fundraiser at the AEA conference in Kansas City.

ICYMI, earlier this month we celebrated our 7th year anniversary! To mark the occasion, I2I Founder Nina Sabarre shared 7 Lessons in the past 7 Years, and we randomly selected 7 newsletter subscribers to pick from a menu of 7 prizes. Thanks for being along for the ride!

On Our Minds

Measuring Systems Change (Without Losing Ourselves in the Matrix)

If you’ve ever tried to measure systems change and felt like you were starring in your own sequel to Inception, you’re not alone. 🌀

Last month, we pulled back the curtain on I2I’s experiments to evaluate complex systems during our two-part American Evaluation Association eStudy: “Measuring Systems Change Across Diverse Portfolios.” Together with evaluators, funders, and social-impact dreamers from around the world, we explored how to track change when there’s no single finish line, tidy dataset, or universal definition of “success.”

Our biggest takeaway? Systems change isn’t just about collecting more or “big” data — it’s about building the scaffolding to make sense of complexity across multiple levels of impact. The more diverse the portfolio, the greater the need for shared language, structure, and alignment.

In the eStudy, we shared three strategies that help organizations do just that:

Develop Archetypes. Identify the types of actors, organizations, and interventions in your portfolio to see patterns in how change happens and uncover meaningful ways to organize (and measure) outcomes. This helps provide the critical context so you can compare 🍎 & 🍊
Lean Into a Systems Framework. Use a unifying framework (e.g., Waters of Systems Change, 12 leverage points) to provide common language for dimensions of the system and surface shared assumptions without oversimplifying complexity. This helps you capture the nuance and interplay of things like narrative change, power dynamics, resource allocation, and policies. Ya know, easy stuff.
Operationalize Framework with Rubrics. Translate high-level concepts into practical criteria that teams can use to assess progress, contribution, and influence across projects. Rather than distinct metrics for every part of a system, rubrics enable you to measure shifts based on archetypes and the systems framework (e.g., no change, some change, substantial change).

These strategies help move systems-change measurement from the abstract to the actionable, allowing learning, reflection, and evidence to transcend portfolios instead of staying siloed.

Want to dig in? You can purchase and watch the full AEA eStudy recording here 🎥

If your team’s ready to go deeper, reach out to us about hosting a customized workshop for your organization. BYO snacks. We’ll bring the frameworks, rubrics, and maybe even a few matrix metaphors.

In Our Hearts

Living our Values (How it Started vs. How it’s Going)

Hi there! Victoria here 👋🏽 — you might remember me as the “new kid” introduced in the June newsletter. A few months in, I’m excited to share a little “how it started… how it’s going” reflection and what it’s really like to work with a values-driven organization like Intention 2 Impact.

When I first applied to I2I, what stood out most was that values weren’t just tucked away on a forgotten webpage — they were front and center. Bold. Visionary. Equity-driven. Grounded in authentic relationships. And more than that, they showed up throughout the hiring process itself. It was clear this wasn’t performative; it was personal.

Values are also a big deal in my own life. In times of chaos or change, I return to them as my compass. My husband and I even wrote out our family values, things like the importance of building community and how we’re raising our kids — and an “executive summary” version is framed outside our daughter’s bedroom door. (Because let’s be real, parenting needs a mission statement.)

So when I joined I2I, I was curious: would their use of values in everyday work live up to the promise? Short answer: Absolutely.

Here are three I2I values I’ve seen come alive across our projects and team culture:

💡 Innovation – Our work is both grounded and gutsy. We constantly find new ways to measure the messy stuff — from systems-change rubrics and portfolio archetypes to custom scorecards, dashboards, and capacity-building sessions that make learning stick. Every project pushes us (and our clients) to think bigger and smarter.

🤝 Interdependence – Transformation doesn’t happen in silos. I2I’s collaborative spirit is palpable: we build authentic, trusting relationships with partners and with one another. It’s not just about “delivering” evaluation results; it’s about learning together. That shows up in how we scope projects, facilitate sensemaking, and help partners strengthen their own relationships in the process.

🎯 Intention – As our name suggests, intention is at the heart of everything. Every engagement is purpose-built — whether that means tailoring a framework to a client’s ecosystem, adding trainings to build internal capacity, or sharing lessons learned more widely through thought leadership.

At I2I, values aren’t window dressing. They’re the scaffolding for how we measure, make meaning, and move toward impact.

Here’s to living our values out loud, in work and in life. 💜

Up Our Sleeves

Pay Her Forward Fundraiser

Headed to Kansas City for the AEA annual conference in November? Join us for happy hour + professional headshots for a worthy cause!

I2I is hosting our 5th annual Pay Her Forward fundraiser on Wednesday, November 11, 2025 from 5-7 pm CT at this year’s American Evaluation Association Conference in Kansas City, MO.

A suggested $30 donation includes a professional headshot (taken by Sarah Ireland Photography) and light refreshments with excellent company! 100% of proceeds will be donated to United WE - a nonprofit headquartered in Kansas City that is driving systemic change by focusing on women’s labor force participation to strengthen the overall economy.

Click here to RSVP by Wednesday, Oct 22, 2025!

**Onward and upward, y’all!**
**You know, heart-2-hearts are supposed to be a 2-way street…**
So comment below, what’s on your mind, in your heart, and up your sleeve? Hopefully a lil’ bit of good trouble. 😉
**Subscribe** **to the newsletter here!**
Until next time,
Intention 2 Impact

Before we get into this month’s hot dish, please cue a round of “happy birthday" to this newsletter (the Stevie Wonder, of course) 🥳. This issue marks our 3rd year of producing this newsletter, which is a whopping 36 monthly installments. Thank you to all for being a part of I2I’s community!