Does impact management feel like a boon or a burden to your stakeholders?

Ideally, it should be a catalyst for positive change.

Yet, too often, it becomes a heavy load for those involved:

• Impact management teams are stressed by persistent data collection delays.

• Entrepreneurs are exasperated by the time consumed by data collection and paperwork.

• Customers and beneficiaries grow weary of yet another questionnaire to complete.

Why does this happen?

The root of the problem lies in how impact is typically managed.

It’s often approached in a linear, transactional way, where data moves from the source to the final report, with little evident value added throughout the process.

To transform impact management from a burden to an asset, consider the following steps:

1. Identify your Key Stakeholders

Determine the main players in your impact management system and understand their roles.

2. Understand their Needs and Expectations

Understand what each stakeholder needs from the process and what they hope to achieve.

3. Identify their Contributions

Recognize the inputs each stakeholder brings to the process. These can span from data to expertise and beyond.

4. Define Value

Figure out what value each stakeholder derives from the process. This might be tangible, such as resources, or intangible, like knowledge or satisfaction.

After these steps, revisit your impact management system through each stakeholder’s lens.

This will lead to improved communication and greater stakeholder buy-in, ultimately making impact management beneficial for everyone.