2022 Impact Framework and Measurement

As subject experts, measuring and monitoring our annual impact is a critical part of Impact Amplifier’s growth, maturity and evolution. As both an intermediary and implementer within the impact economy, understanding and measuring our impact is complex and exciting as it allows us to explore new territory in a discipline that is constantly changing.

We use the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) as the tool for categorising and monitoring our annual impact.

We have chosen this system as we are firm believers in developing a common language for reflecting impact as this creates collective momentum, inspires participation and builds a platform for understanding progress and success.

While the SDG’s provide a global set of goals to measure individual actions against, it does not sufficiently address the means of determining whether a contribution toward the goal has been made. This is particularly true when there is not a clear direct causal relationship between actions and the impact measured.

Because of our complex role in the impact ecosystem, Impact Amplifier has developed the following framework for attributing our impact to what we are able to measure. We have created three categories for our work:

  • Direct – Significant: in this category, Impact Amplifier can make a direct link between its efforts, an SDG, and where progress can be measured.  This is generally related to our long-term acceleration work with entrepreneurs across sectors and social issues and our impact enhancement work where we are directly implementing an ecosystem intervention.
  • Direct – Marginal: Impact Amplifier is contributing toward the SDGs, but our attribution is less direct and the ability to measure impact is not consistent. This category generally relates to our investment readiness training with social entrepreneurs that are more short term, or impact assessments where we are not participating in programme design or delivery.
  • Indirect – Significant: Impact Amplifier creates an enabling environment for other organisations to contribute to the SDGs. This relates to our research and knowledge creation about the social and ecological impact ecosystem.
Impact Amplifier drawing

Although we measure everything we do, we only attribute our efforts toward the Sustainable Development Goals in the Direct – Significant category.

The highlights of our Direct – Significant measured outcomes and impact from 2022 include:

  • Social Enterprises Supported: 81
  • Funding: facilitated R11 million of grant and debt funding to social enterprises
  • Jobs: 56 created and 659 sustained
  • Education: primary and secondary access for 2,163 rural children; Online safety training for 42,000 primary and secondary school children; agronomy and market access training for 1,921 small farmers and fishers; and enterprise development training for 82 micro enterprises
  • Water: 965,000 litres provided to low income families
  • Employment opportunities, training and enhanced lifestyles for people with disabilities: 373

Sustainable Development Goal Contributions

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), are a universal call to action for all United Nations Members States to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030. The SDGs are the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. They address the global challenges we face, including those related to poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice. The 17 SDGs are integrated—that is, they recognize that action in one area will affect outcomes in others and that development must balance social, economic and environmental sustainability.” – United Nations, 2020

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals are defined in a list of 169 SDG Targets. Progress towards these Targets is agreed to be tracked by 232 unique Indicators. Here is the full list of definitions.

Impact Amplifier annually makes contributions toward fulfilling the SDGs. The following reflects our 2022 contributions and what percentage of our overall impact was attributed to each goal. Often a single accomplishment like educating low income, rural girls will contribute toward multiple SDGs – Quality Education, Gender Equity and Reduced Inequalities. Thus, the percentages reflected below are more than 100% in total.

  Sustainable Development Goals Percentage Of Impact Attributed To Each SDG
1 No Poverty 14%
2 Zero Hunger 5%
3 Good Health and Well-being 14%
4 Quality Education 32%
5 Gender Equality 73%
6 Clean Water and Sanitation 9%
7 Affordable and Clean Energy 5%
8 Decent Work and Economic Growth 64%
9 Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure 5%
10 Reduced Inequalities 95%
11 Sustainable Cities and Communities 5%
12 Responsible Consumption and Production 5%
13 Climate Action 9%
14 Life Below Water 0%
15 Life on Land 5%
16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions 5%
17 Partnerships for Goals 100%