Getting to Impact

From Board Members to Grants Managers to employees, impact is on everyone’s minds. Over and over, we hear the following from Executives, Program Officers and Grants Managers:

We’re expected to understand how to achieve results, increase them, report on them, and ensure they are aligned with our business priorities.

This year, we have to start tracking and communicating our impact.

We can get clear results from some grants, but it’s not easy for others.

How can we tell if our funding is making a difference?

So what is holding so many organizations back from getting to impact?

For many, it’s simply too overwhelming. They don’t know where to start, what questions to ask, or what infrastructure is required to define and track results. While not a trivial undertaking, with the right focus and approach, getting to impact can be within reach for almost any organization.

This article will first explore what is driving this imperative, outline the principles of effective impact reporting, and demonstrate the benefits of shifting to a results-focused approach to philanthropy.

Whether you’re just getting started on the path to achieving impact or ready to take your process to the next level and improve your impact, we hope to inspire you to take steps – small or large – to adopt a results-focused approach to your giving.

Click here to continue reading about the shift from philanthropy to social investing on GMNsight. 

For more information on how to get to impact, watch the panel video from the Grants Managers Network Conference 2015. Burt Cummings from Versaic moderated a panel with client Kristin Meyer from Starwood and partner Wendy Watson-Hallowell from TRI. They discussed how Starwood achieved impact in CSR programs and now measure their results in communities worldwide.