Common Approach To Impact Measurement

Name

Common Approach To Impact Measurement

Legal name

Common Approach to Impact Measurement

Website

https://commonapproach.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Impact Measurement Standards

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

akta.pro primary industry

Impact Investing & Social Finance (Funds, CDFIs, Microfinance) (BPAGALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Impact Investment & Social Finance Programs (BPADAOAJ), Impact Investing (Intentional, Measurable Social/Environmental Outcomes) (FSAAALAC), Environmental, Climate & Sustainability Standards & Reporting Cooperation (BPADANAI)

Keywords

• Impact measurement standards
• Social impact data ontology
• Nonprofit impact reporting
• Social purpose organization tools
• Impact aggregation framework

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: Common Approach is a nonprofit organization funded primarily through grants from government programs (Government of Canada, Investment Readiness Program, Ontario Trillium Foundation) and foundations (McConnell Foundation, Northpine Foundation, New Venture Fund). The organization does not generate revenue from its standards but operates through project-based funding.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Common Approach to Impact Measurement develops and maintains four interconnected, community-driven standards for flexible, shareable impact measurement: Common Foundations (a minimum practice standard), Common Impact Data Standard (a data ontology for organizing impact data), Common Framework (a methodology for aggregating non-uniform metrics), and Common Form (an ontology for non-impact organizational data). The organization distributes these standards free of charge through its website, aligned software partners (b.world, Cigarbox, Clear Impact, Amplify), and data utilities (Airtable extension, Excel Add-in, Python script), and supports adoption through the Pathfinder Pilot and Government of Canada Social Finance Fund implementation work.

Product overview

Common Approach To Impact Measurement is a community-driven initiative that has developed four interconnected standards for flexible, shareable impact measurement: Common Foundations (minimum practices standard), Common Impact Data Standard (data ontology), Common Framework (aggregation methodology), and Common Form (organizational data ontology). These standards work together to enable social purpose organizations to measure impact in ways aligned with their own strategies while allowing funders and investors to aggregate data across portfolios. The standards are accessible through aligned tools including Airtable, Excel, and specialized software partners. The organization also runs pilot programs and supports implementation for Canada's Social Finance Fund.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Common Foundations: A minimum standard for the how of impact measurement. Five essential practices for useful, non-burdensome measurement.
• Common Impact Data Standard
• Common Framework
• Common Form

Products and services

• Common Foundations

Quantifiable outcome

• Standards are freely available and have been adopted across multiple Canadian networks through Pathfinder Pilot
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration15 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Realize Capital PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Common Approach is working with Realize Capital Partners to support the Government of Canada's Social Finance Fund implementation. Realize Capital Partners is a key collaborator in helping all SFF participants implement flexible, shareable impact measurement.
• Fonds de finance sociale – CAP FinancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Collaborating partner in the Social Finance Fund ecosystem, working with Common Approach on impact measurement implementation for SFF participants.
• Boann Social ImpactcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Collaborating partner in the Social Finance Fund ecosystem alongside Common Approach, Realize Capital Partners, and CAP Finance.
• Carleton UniversitysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Common Approach founding and ongoing support; Carleton Centre for Community Innovation convened the Social Funders Advisory Board.
• Social Innovation CanadasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerHouses the Pathfinder Pilot program and serves as a key ecosystem partner for standards adoption.
• Impact FrontierssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommon Approach aligns with Impact Frontiers' Reporting Norms and Five Dimensions of Impact; Impact Management Project (now at Impact Frontiers) consulted with over 2000 impact professionals to create foundational framework.
• GIIN (IRIS+)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommon Approach standards complement GIIN's IRIS+ system; together they ensure no organization is too small to be counted and no impact is too complex to be understood.
• Social Value InternationalsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommon Approach and SVI are understood as a continuum of practice; SVI provides rigorous high-level principles for accounting for value while Common Foundations provides practical steps for organizations.
• Centre for Social Services Engineering at University of TorontosupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommon Impact Data Standard was released in collaboration with Mark Fox at the Centre for Social Services Engineering at the University of Toronto.
• Centre for Social Enterprise (Memorial University)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerConvenes the Newfoundland and Labrador Social Enterprise and Innovation Coalition participating in the Pathfinder Pilot.
• Alterna SavingssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerConvenes the Community Lending Network participating in Pathfinder Pilot; community loan fund partners sharing common goal of providing capital to underserved communities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• World Benchmarking Alliance: WBA publishes benchmarks ranking 2,000+ companies on sustainability and social impact. Operates in the same impact measurement/transparency space targeting funders and SPOs, though at corporate rather than nonprofit level.
• B Lab (B Corporation): B Lab certifies B Corps and runs the B Impact Assessment, a standardized impact measurement tool used by thousands of social purpose businesses. Overlapping scope with Common Approach on measuring and benchmarking social purpose organizations.
• OECD Impact Standards: The OECD develops policy and impact measurement frameworks including impact standards for social and development finance. A broader, well-resourced incumbent working on overlapping impact measurement and reporting norms.

Emerging players

• Sopact: Sopact is an impact management software platform that collects, analyzes, and reports impact data. Listed as a software vendor 'exploring alignment' with the Common Impact Data Standard, making it a partial overlap emerging player.
• UpMetrics: UpMetrics is impact reporting software for nonprofits and funders. Listed as 'exploring alignment' with the Common Impact Data Standard, making it an emerging player in the impact data tooling space.
• Leap of Reason: Leap of Reason produces performance management and impact measurement resources for nonprofits and funders. Adjacent to Common Approach's training and capacity-building work for SPOs and consultants.

Direct peers

• Social Value International: SVI is the global network for Social Return on Investment (SROI) and the principles of social value. Common Approach is described as a 'continuum of practice' with SVI, and both serve funders and SPOs with impact measurement frameworks.
• Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN): GIIN develops and maintains IRIS+, the most widely used impact measurement catalog in impact investing. Common Approach explicitly positions its standards as complementary to IRIS+, making GIIN the closest direct comparable as a standards body serving the same SPO/funder audience.
• Impact Management Platform: A multi-stakeholder initiative convening standards setters to harmonize impact measurement practices. Operates in the same impact measurement and reporting interoperability space as Common Approach.
• Impact Frontiers: Impact Frontiers houses the Five Dimensions of Impact and Reporting Norms and consulted over 2,000 impact professionals to build its framework. Common Approach aligns with this work and shares the same SPO/funder audience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• GitHubgithub.com/commonapproach
• Xx.com/CommonApproach
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/common-approach-to-impact-measurement

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Common Approach To Impact Measurement