The principles of good impact reporting: For charities and social enterprises

The stories charities and social enterprises tell about the difference they make can engage, inform and inspire stakeholders. Clearly communicating the impact of your work is important. This document, developed for the sector, by the sector, offers a guide to help you think about how you should communicate your impact, and what you should communicate.

From local groups run by volunteers to national charities employing thousands of staff, all social organisations should tell their stakeholders how they are fulfilling their purpose and achieving the change that they seek.

Good impact reporting helps beneficiaries, volunteers, donors, funders and other supporters understand and engage with an organisation. It also helps staff and trustees focus on results and work to achieve their vision. An organisation that is able to establish and explain its impact will have a strong foundation both for communicating its work, and also managing it to achieve the greatest possible impact.

This document sets out principles of good impact reporting, to help charities and social enterprises tell their own story about impact.

By using these principles to demonstrate their impact, charities and social enterprises can have a strong influence on how they are perceived. They can help to shift the prevailing focus away from concerns about administration costs or chief executives’ salaries, and towards what really matters: the difference they make in people’s lives.

 I believe passionately in the power of the stories that charities tell about their work to engage supporters, staff and stakeholders.

Tris Lumley, NPC

Want to learn more? We have an event on 23 May 2019 exploring what good impact reporting looks like.

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