Impact Investing Library

A curated collection of research, frameworks, and tools — organized by topic and mapped to The Impact Thesis Blueprint.

Topic
Impact Thesis Theory of Change Measurement Returns Due Diligence Fund Design Sectors Policy Reporting Market
Blueprint Section
M1: Overview M2: Strategy M3: Understand M4: Invest M5: Project M6: Finalize
Type
Annual Report Article Blended Finance Book Case Study Climate Crowdfunding Employee Ownership Framework Guide Index Platform Report Toolkit Video Working Paper
All Topics Impact Thesis Theory of Change Measurement Returns Due Diligence Fund Design Sectors Policy Reporting Market

Impact Measurement & Metrics

Measurement is where impact investing either earns its credibility or loses it. The ability to quantify societal returns with the same rigor applied to financial returns is the defining challenge of the field.

The measurement landscape is both rich and fragmented. Organizations like the Global Impact Investing Network have developed IRIS+, a system of standardized metrics organized by impact category and aligned to the Sustainable Development Goals. The Impact Management Platform provides a shared vocabulary for describing impact across the dimensions of what, who, how much, contribution, and risk. Impact Frontiers has advanced the concept of the Efficient Impact Frontier, which applies portfolio theory logic to impact optimization.

These frameworks are not competitors — they are layers of an evolving infrastructure. IRIS+ provides the metrics. The Impact Management Platform provides the conceptual framework. Impact Frontiers provides the portfolio-level analytical lens. Together, they represent the current state of the art in impact measurement.

Impact IRR, published in The Journal of Impact and ESG Investing, contributes to this infrastructure by adapting Internal Rate of Return to measure societal returns. It is one approach within a broader ecosystem of methodologies, each addressing different dimensions of the measurement challenge.

An Entrepreneur's Guide to Impact Measurement
Leading Impact Network
Guide for measuring, tracking and reporting social environmental impact.
ReportM5: Project
Applying Evaluation Criteria Thoughtfully
OECD
OECD framework on applying evaluation criteria (relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, sustainability).
ReportM5: Project
Impact and the Impact Pathway
Impact Management Platform
Framework by the Impact Management Platform detailing the stages of an impact pathway.
GuideM2: Strategy
Impact Management Platform
Impact Management Platform
Platform providing resources and frameworks for managing impact across sectors.
PlatformM5: Project
Impact Measurement & Management: A Guide for Investors
Impact Frontiers
Comprehensive guide providing practical frameworks for impact measurement and management.
ReportM5: Project
Impact Measurement Toolkit
Acumen Academy
Practical toolkit with frameworks, tools and case studies for impact measurement.
ToolkitM5: Project
Impact Performance Reporting Norms: Version 1
Impact Frontiers
First version of standardized norms for impact performance reporting in private markets.
ReportM5: Project
Key Terms and Concepts
Impact Management Platform
Glossary of fundamental concepts and terminology used in impact management.
GuideM2: Strategy
Missing the Impact in Impact Investing Research
Schlutter et al. / Journal of Management Studies
Academic review critiquing the current state of impact investing research and identifying literature gaps.
ArticleM5: Project
Social Impact Measurement: A Systematic Literature Review
Feor, Clarke & Dougherty / World
Systematic literature review exploring current practices and future directions for measuring social impact.
ArticleM5: Project
The Efficient Impact Frontier
Impact Frontiers
Explores the concept of the efficient impact frontier for optimizing portfolios across impact and financial returns.
GuideM5: Project
The Purpose of the Principles of Social Value
Social Value International
Outlines the foundational principles for accounting and managing social value.
GuideM5: Project

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