The Social/Environmental Impact Model + Free Impact Framework

Introducing ‘The Impact Commons’ for social entrepreneurs, by Impact Amplifier Director, Tanner Methvin .

?? The Impact Commons is a barrier-free collection of fast, sharp and invaluable insights for social entrepreneurs who have put in the work and are now ready to scale. It is about learning quickly, without having to make room for error or pour capital into costly resources and processes.

First, Tanner sheds light on The Social/Environmental Impact Model. We’ve linked this article to a free Impact Framework document to reference and adapt to suit your business.

While this may seem self-evident for social ventures preparing to scale, most entrepreneurs I have worked with do not have a clear and thoughtful Impact Model.?

This Model should define the Theory of Change, Outputs, Outcomes and Impact metrics that will be used and articulate what has been measured to-date. Most social enterprises have spotty records regarding what impact means for their business and what has been measured at this stage of their growth.

Generally, social enterprises focus on measuring outputs - the results of their direct actions – like for a company which has designed an affordable solar home system for low-income rural families living off the grid. They usually measure the number of solar home installations, people trained to install, maintain, and use the system, and energy created.

??However, they rarely understand what this new light and power has enabled in the home. Did it create more time to study, which led to greater academic achievements or engagement of new economic activity, which led to more household income and spending on their basic human needs like food security, healthcare, or access to water?

This limited understanding of their impact substantially hinders their ability to raise capital from impact investors whose mandate often demands granular clarity about the impact created from their funding. Certainty about what impact means for your business, how you plan to measure it - and by when - is vital to successfully raising capital and moving into the next stage of growth.

Our team has given you free access to a real-world example of Impact Amplifier’s impact measurement framework.

See it here: https://www.impactamplifier.co.za/insights-reports/free-resource-company-impact-framework