From Activity to Impact: A Theory of Change-Based Program Management Model for University Community Service Programs

Abstract

University community service (Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat/PKM) programs in Indonesia are formally mandated as one pillar of the Tri Dharma Perguruan Tinggi, yet published PKM reports overwhelmingly document activities and immediate outputs, such as participant counts and satisfaction scores, rather than the longer-term social outcomes these activities are intended to produce. This gap between activity reporting and outcome evidence limits both accountability to funders and the field's ability to learn which program designs actually generate lasting social change. This article presents a structured narrative literature review and conceptual model addressing how PKM program teams can move from activity-based reporting toward evidence-based social impact management. Drawing on the program evaluation, theory of change, and social impact measurement literature, together with evidence from Indonesian PKM evaluation practice, the review synthesizes logic-model and theory-of-change frameworks and identifies a persistent gap between prescriptive PKM guidelines and the outcome-level evaluation these guidelines call for. Based on this synthesis, the article proposes the Theory of Change-Based Program Management (ToC-PM) model, a five-stage framework covering problem and stakeholder mapping, theory of change construction, indicator and instrument design, implementation with embedded monitoring, and outcome evaluation with institutional learning. The article further proposes a companion indicator framework spanning output, outcome, and early impact levels that future PKM teams, including those at the Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Negeri Jakarta, may adopt and empirically validate. The model offers program teams a structured alternative to activity-only reporting and provides a replicable roadmap for demonstrating the social value of university-based community engagement.