5 Don’ts for Your Impact Report
remember, you’re telling a story
We work hard to measure our impact, at least in part so we can share it.
And like many things in life and business, there are good ways to share your impact…and not so good ways.
Here are 5 don’ts to avoid when you’re developing an impact report:
#1 Don’t share your metrics without context.
Numbers lack meaning without context. Tell me why you chose the measures you did. Help me understand how the numbers indicate progress. If the numbers taught you something that resulted in changing what you do or how you do it, tell me about it.
And if you did a survey, tell me how many people responded (claiming 100% success with 1 respondent = major don’t).
#2 Don’t use complex graphics.
I appreciate the place visuals have in communicating information. In fact, they’re often more effective than text.
But clarity trumps cool and clever every time. Don’t create visualizations that take a PhD in data science to decipher. You should “get it” at a glance.
#3 Don’t have marketing own this project.
Like it or lump it, when marketing owns impact reporting, many people assume they’re cooking the books.
While that guild will need to play a role to get the piece to come together (it’s likely where your storytellers and designers live), someone else needs to ensure that the information gets represented accurately.
#4 Don’t think you can do it all with one deliverable.
My team has been tasked with trying to create one deliverable that can do all the things — be good for printing, work well online, perform on social, and even stand up on a website. While it *might* feel like you’re saving money, you’re also getting what you pay for because the end product isn’t as effective.
Know your people and where they spend their time, then meet them where they are with a deliverable designed for that platform. You can always link back to the fullest or longest version of your report if a platform requires you to produce something shorter.
#5 Don’t forget the stories.
Numbers have their place, but stories of transformation go a long way to illustrate your impact. You should collect and share these stories all year, and your impact report provides an opportunity to highlight some of them.
We don’t put impact reports under measurement — we put them under impact storytelling.
Rather than asking the numbers to do the lifting on their own, the goal is to tell a story that uses numbers as a leading player.
Subscribe to get a weekly brief on how to run a purpose-driven business. Delivered to your inbox every Monday morning. Originally published at https://www.matterlogic.co on May 16, 2022.
