The Common Approach is a new type of impact measurement standard. It is a flexible standard that allows each organization to measure impact in a way that makes sense for it.
The lack of a standard measure impedes organizations from effectively telling their story, communicating with a wide variety of stakeholders and operating in a high impact manner.
The Common Approach to Impact Measurement is a community of nonprofits, social purpose organizations, grant makers, investors and academics building a better way to measure social impact. Come join us!
Under the IRP, the Common Approach is working to develop a flexible standard of social impact measurement through five distinct but inter-related elements:
- Community ownership and governance of the standard.
- A data standard making possible aggregation of indicators from individual to collective.
- Adoption of a minimum standard of five essential social impact measurement practices (Common Foundations).
- The adoption by grant makers and impact investors of a common set of organizational information to reduce the reporting burden of grantees and investees.
- The use of the SDGs as a framework for mapping indicators for a flexible standard.