About Empirica Research & Consulting
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Empirica Research & Consulting was founded by Ilaria Pina, a researcher, coach and mentor with extensive experience working across the third sector, academia and community settings.
Ilaria holds a PhD in Psychology, Health Sciences and Sport and has a background in mixed-methods, participatory and qualitative research. Her work focuses on wellbeing, health inequalities, and ethical engagement with people and communities whose voices are often under-represented in research and decision-making.
Alongside her academic and research roles, Ilaria has worked closely with charities, community organisations and social enterprises—supporting impact evaluation, learning, and capacity-building in ways that feel accessible and grounded in practice.
Ilaria’s approach is collaborative, reflective and practical—supporting organisations to feel more confident, capable and clear about their impact.
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Why Empirica exists
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Empirica was created in response to a gap Ilaria observed repeatedly in her work: organisations wanting to understand and communicate their impact, but lacking the time, confidence or support to do so in ways that felt meaningful and manageable.
Empirica exists to bridge that gap—helping organisations build skills, confidence and approaches that work for them, now and in the future.
Our approach
Empirica Research & Consulting supports charities, community organisations and mission-led businesses to better understand, capture and communicate the impact of their work.
We believe that meaningful impact is about more than numbers or meeting reporting requirements. It is about understanding change, learning from practice, and telling honest, confident stories about what your work makes possible.
Rather than taking work away from organisations, we focus on building skills, confidence and sustainable approaches—working alongside teams to strengthen their ability to evaluate, learn and use evidence in ways that are ethical, proportionate and practical.
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How we work
Our work is grounded in collaboration, care and realism.
We understand the pressures facing third sector and community organisations: limited time, limited resources, and increasing demands for evidence. Our role is to help organisations navigate these challenges without losing sight of their values or overburdening staff and communities.
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Who we work with
Charities and voluntary organisations
Community and grassroots groups
Social enterprises and mission-led businesses
Partnerships and networks
