Double whammy for impact

Yesterday saw the launch of not one but two sets of impact guidance from the Inspiring Impact programme: The Code of Good Impact Practice, for charities and social enterprises, and the Funders’ Principles, aimed at funders.

This marks an important milestone in impact reporting: for the first time we have guidelines, produced by the sector and for the sector, outlining what good impact practice is, and how organisations can foster, develop and encourage better impact reporting.

The Code and Principles were presented to an eager crowd at a fringe event of Evolve 2013. Catherine Pusey, Head of Consultancy at NCVO, introduced the Code of Good Impact Practice, setting out the cycle of impact practice and its underlying principles; and Carol Candler, chair of the Funders for Impact group, introduced the Funders’ Principles. The event also featured charity and funder case studies: Richard Piper, CEO at Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity, and Jane Steele, Head of Impact and Evaluation at the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, explained what the Code and Funder Principles meant to them and how they would be used in practice.

David Carrington, chair of the Inspiring Impact board, played MC to a lively debate, as comments on Twitter poured in. As programme manager of Inspiring Impact, it was heartening to hear so many people welcoming the documents and  downloading them from the Inspiring Impact website.

Of course, the proof is always in the pudding—now that we have the Code and Principles they need to be put into practice. Third sector organisations should be downloading, digesting, and discussing the documents. But what we’re really looking for next is action…

…So sign up!

If you care about impact and want to see a charity sector that makes a bigger difference to people’s lives, pledge your support to the Code of Good Impact Practice and Funder Principles on the Inspiring Impact website. The vision of Inspiring Impact, is a voluntary sector where organisations measure their social impact and share what they learn to ensure every pound spent makes the biggest possible difference to beneficiaries. It’s a vision we should all embrace.