2025 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 and 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.
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 2025 includes:
- Social Enterprises Supported: 22
- Social enterprise grant/debt funding raised: R13,630,000
- Jobs created: 416 New and 36 sustained
- Educational Equity & Literacy: provided 387,880 people with access to digital learning tools.
- Training: delivered agronomy skills to 1,098 smallholder farmers, increasing yields by 22%.
- Inclusive Finance & Support for Women: provided loans to 180 female entrepreneurs and 170 more to SMME.
- Health & Wellness: delivered 5,130 counselling sessions and distributed 18,000 sanitary towels.
- Environment: saved 1,920 tonnes of carbon emissions, 53.1 tonnes of e-waste diverted from landfills and 25,800kg of human waste and 420 tonnes of organic waste upcycled into fertlizer.
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 table reflects our 2025 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 | 54% |
| 2 | Zero Hunger | 31% |
| 3 | Good Health and Well-being | 23% |
| 4 | Quality Education | 38% |
| 5 | Gender Equality | 54% |
| 6 | Clean Water and Sanitation | 23% |
| 7 | Affordable and Clean Energy | 8% |
| 8 | Decent Work and Economic Growth | 100% |
| 9 | Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure | 0% |
| 10 | Reduced Inequalities | 92% |
| 11 | Sustainable Cities and Communities | 31% |
| 12 | Responsible Consumption and Production | 38% |
| 13 | Climate Action | 31% |
| 14 | Life Below Water | 0% |
| 15 | Life on Land | 0% |
| 16 | Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions | 0% |
| 17 | Partnerships for Goals | 92% |