Social impact is harder to measure than emissions, and easier to overstate. These guides cover impact frameworks, theory of change, co-designed indicators, participatory monitoring, and the metrics, monitoring and verification (MRV) systems that make results credible to funders.
Guides for your organization
Each of these comes in versions written for different kinds of organization.
Develop Metrics, Monitoring, and Verification (MRV) for Impact
Measure and Communicate Collective Impact
More guides
- 5 Steps to Implement Social Impact ToolsLearn how to implement social impact tools to measure and improve your contributions to society, the environment, and your business goals.
- Best Practices for Social Impact Data CollectionExplore best practices for collecting social impact data, emphasizing clear objectives, stakeholder engagement, and ethical practices for meaningful change.
- Case Studies: Co-Designing Social Impact IndicatorsExplore how co-designing social impact indicators fosters collaboration, transparency, and community engagement for meaningful outcomes.
- Checklist for Evaluating Social Impact FrameworksLearn how to effectively evaluate social impact frameworks to measure and communicate your organization's contributions to societal change.
- Ethical Challenges in Environmental AssessmentsExplore the ethical challenges in environmental assessments and their impact on fairness, stakeholder trust, and decision-making outcomes.
- Habitat Mapping for Biodiversity Impact AssessmentMap habitats, rate sensitivity, show uncertainty, and use GIS to guide avoidance, minimization, restoration, and offsets.
- Impact Frameworks: SDGs vs IRIS+ vs GRIUse SDGs for direction, IRIS+ for measurable metrics, and GRI for public reporting—align strategy, measurement, and disclosure.
- Measuring Social Impact: Guide for Corporate LeadersLearn how to measure social impact effectively to enhance business operations, build trust, and align with stakeholder values.
- Measuring the triple bottom line: financial, social and environmental ROIExplore the Triple Bottom Line framework for measuring financial, social, and environmental impact to enhance sustainability and decision-making.
- Monitoring ecosystem services over time: 7 metricsSeven actionable metrics to monitor ecosystem services—water, soil carbon, pollination, habitat, flood control, air quality, and land-cover.
- Social Impact Frameworks vs Cost-Benefit in Urban PolicyWhen to use cost-benefit analysis versus social impact frameworks in city projects, plus a practical 3-step workflow for decisions.
- Study: Impact of Community Projects on SustainabilityCommunity-led projects deliver cost-effective conservation, carbon reductions, and social benefits—scalable with strong local governance and data-driven measurement.
- Theory of Change in Sustainable BusinessExplore how the Theory of Change framework helps organizations achieve sustainability by connecting actions to measurable results.
- Top Frameworks for Policy-Oriented Social Impact AssessmentExplore essential frameworks for policy-oriented social impact assessments that help evaluate community effects and improve decision-making.
- Triple Bottom Line Metrics vs ESG MetricsCompare TBL and ESG metrics: TBL guides internal trade-offs across people, planet, profit; ESG focuses on investor-facing risk and disclosure.
- Ultimate Guide to Participatory MonitoringLearn how participatory monitoring empowers communities, enhances project relevance, and fosters accountability through collaboration and data-driven insights.
- Ultimate Guide to Partnership Impact Assessment ToolsSelect partnership impact tools—self-assessments, SNA, and evaluation models—to measure collaboration quality, ESG alignment, and financial & community outcomes.
- Ultimate Guide to Triple Bottom Line Metrics DevelopmentMeasure people, planet, and profit with practical TBL metrics - steps for goal setting, standardized data collection, reporting, and continuous improvement.
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