Summer Institute for Educational Fundraising Pre-Institute Sessions-Impact Reporting Sarah Lawlor 2023

Impact Reporting Sarah Lawlor 2023

Pdf Summary

The document titled "Show Me the Money: Advancement Services & Impact Reporting" discusses the importance of impact reporting in philanthropy. Impact reporting refers to the evaluation and communication of how philanthropic gifts are being used and the difference they make in someone's life. The document explores different types of impact reports, such as narrative reports, financial reports, events, visuals, and miscellaneous forms of storytelling. It also highlights some common stumbling blocks in impact reporting, such as lack of stories or resources, passing the buck, and being too easily satisfied with standard stewardship programs. <br /><br />The document provides strategies for creating reporting success, including making gratitude an organizational value, focusing on the human beneficiary, ensuring adequate system support, being flexible in form but specific in content, and considering cost-effective options for capturing and sharing impact. <br /><br />Reporting success is defined by satisfied donors who feel their gifts have made a difference, become advocates for the organization, and contribute to positive word-of-mouth advertising. Reporting success also builds institutional pride, fosters accountability and compliance, and can be used as a selling point for attracting more customers or donors. The future of impact reporting is predicted to involve even more multimedia and online integration, with increasing demands for specific reporting and a focus on pre-defined outcomes. <br /><br />The document concludes by opening the floor to questions and discussion about impact reporting.

Keywords

impact reporting

philanthropy

evaluation

narrative reports

financial reports

stumbling blocks

strategies

satisfied donors

multimedia

pre-defined outcomes