The Social Impact Measurement Landscape
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of managing your impact - it’s no wonder why! With so many inputs and stakeholders to consider, it can be difficult to navigate the journey. See below for a snapshot of the impact measurement landscape.
Tool Comparison
As with any trade, you’re only as good as the tools in your kit bag. The discipline of impact measurement is often reduced to a conversation about tools (it’s much more than this), but tools are nonetheless a critical aspect of the practice. Below is a summary of both local and well-known tools available in the space, along with an avaluation of the tools on the dimensions of Scalability and Complexity.
| Tool | Launch Year | Description | Strengths | Limitations | Pricing Model |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amp Impact | 2017 | Salesforce-based platform for portfolio-style impact measurement. | - Fit-for-purpose for portfolio-style impact measurement; ideally suited for grantors with multiple grantees - Highly scalable - Native access to the Salesforce CRM and extended ecosystem of integrations (e.g., Tableau for data visualisation) | - Not suited for individual enterprise impact measurement - Cost prohibitive - Salesforce learning curve can be steep | Two components: Salesforce + Amp Impact. Impact organisations can get up to 10 Salesforce licences available for free. Amp Impact costs range from $5,000 to $100,000. |
| Australian Social Value Bank (ASVB) | 2017 | Assigns an economic value to changes in wellbeing across various common indicators (e.g., reducing unemployent). Includes a simple online cost / benefit tool. | - Academically rigorous foundation of economic benefit - Pre-defined set of "social values" to select from as outcomes - Provides a robust framework for comparing the net benefit of various programs - Combines primary value (benefit to individuals) and secondary benefits (e.g., benefit to government) - Includes consideration of "deadweight", i.e., what would have happened anyway without the program | - Investment cost may be prohibitive for smaller enterprises - Adding custom / bespoke outcomes ("social values") requires uncommonly large datasets and extensive effort | Sliding scale ranging from $4,250 to $34,000 annually. A limited number of grants / subsidies are available. |
| CultureCounts | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| Givvable | 2019 | Not an impact measurement tool. Social procurement platform designed primarily to enable corporate procurement teams to source from organisations that align with their sustainabiity and ESG objectives. | - Leverages AI and other tooling to collect data on suppliers without requiring suppliers to manually enter in details - Enables purchasers to find new suppliers that align with their strategic goals - Independently verifies certifications and accreditations listed by suppliers - Large customer base and high traffic volumes globally | N/A - not a social impact measurement tool. | Undisclosed |
| Metaimpact | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| Seedkit | 2023 | Web-based platform for self-managed impact tracking developed by social enterprises for social enterprises | - Native library of common indicators - Data import / export tools - Built-in dashboarding tool - Encourages users to consider measurement and evaluation in a structured way that aligns with academic / empirical research and funder expectations (e.g., linking inputs, outputs, and outcomes, and pre-defining indicators whilst allowing for customization) - Able to manage multiple programs across multiple enterprises within a single organisation | - Might be overwhelming for non-technical users - Unable to opt out of deidentified aggregation and academic usage - Limited onboarding and enablement support | Free |
| SeerData | 2016 | Web-based data platform + services for collecting, tracking, and reporting on impact data | - Robust data management capabilities - Strong ethos of data governance - Comprehensive onboarding and enablement - Established track record of success - Collaborate with third-party impact measurement experts - Easily integrates publicly-available datasets - Flexibility to manage single entities and portfolio-style impact measurement | - Limited flexibility in reporting output styles | TBA |
| Social Good Outpost | 2024 | Recently-launched tool developed specifically for micro/small social enterprises running events. | - Personalised onboarding to set up your instance - Integrations with Google Calendar, Outlook, and others - Easy-to-use interface built on AirTable - Customisable metrics - Intuitive reporting outputs - No ongoing cost | - Application limited to event-based enterprises - Unlikely to be suitable for medium/large/complex operations | $480 Workshop + Instance setup Optional Support for 1-year: $1,350 |
| Social Impact Toolbox | 2019 | Web-based DIY Theory of Change and logic model development tool linked to a collection of empirically-supported measurement and evaluation tools | - Natively links to a variety of evidence-based evaluation instruments (e.g., surveys, etc) - Outputs Theory of Change and logic model onto a single page | - Website and tool library can be difficult to navigate | Free |
| SocialSuite | 2015 | Full-suite impact measurement tool built on the SalesForce platform. Note: SocialSuite's core product is an ESG application designed for corporate customers. The social impact product for NFPs is a separate product. | - Native (best-in-class) CRM tooling - Emphasis on beneficiary-level data - Pre-loaded library of outcomes - Embeded frameworks - Tableau-enabled reporting - Integrates business and impact data - Modular, extensible, and flexible application - Robust customisation and integrations - Partner ecosystem | - Resource-intensive implementation and management - Unlikely to be fit-for-purpose for small-to-medium enterprises - Pricing model may be prohibitive | 5 licences for $13,500 per annum - additional licence costs dependent on type Coaching: $7,000 - additional support packages available |
| Sopact | 2016 | Sopact Suite (3rd gen) | - Emphasis on data integration and leveraging AI to accelerate data collection and analysis - Robust native survey tooling - Embedded GPT tool - No user limit | - Resource-intensive implementation and management - Unlikely to be fit-for-purpose for small-to-medium enterprises - Pricing model may be prohibitive | $1,599/month (minimum 3-year agreemnt) + 40-60 advisory hours at $200/hr |
| Sopact Sense (4th gen) | $499/mo, minimum 20 advisory hours | ||||
| Takso | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
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