What is Impact?

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Everyone believes they know what it is, but everyone has trouble explaining it. Some say that everything has an impact, but if so, why is there an emerging sector and area of focus about impact

The Oxford dictionary defines impact in two ways:

• First as the action of one object coming forcibly into contact with another.
• Second as having a strong effect on someone or something. We like to consider both of these components when we think of the term.

In the first definition, we understand that often, new and innovative approaches will come into direct conflict with well established ones. We aspire for these collisions to be healthy conflict, in which people openly discuss the difference between old and new approaches and determine the potential upsides and downsides of each. At the end of the day however, we seek to leverage the second in a the wor that we do - as “having a strong effect on someone or something”. We seek for the results of the work we do have a strong, positive effect on the environmental and social components of stakeholders in the equation as well as having a positive financial effect on everyone.

Thus any impact investments (whether financial or non-financial) would be investments made with the intention to generate positive, measurable social and environmental outcomes alongside a financial return.

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How is it measured?

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While it sounds pretty simple, measuring impact can be surprisingly difficult. There is no one size fits all solution, no absolute answer, no silver bullet. Different measures are relevant depending on the different context and time frames of any given situation. It is broadly agreed that we need to move towards widely accepted standards and frameworks that will enable accurate measurement, comparison and acceptance of different impact approaches so we can reach a broad consensus. That said, expert practitioners leverag best practices uncovered from various highly respected global sources to ensure that efforts to deliver real impact can me codified, measured, rewarded and replicated.

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How long does it take?

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Real, lasting impact is not something that happens overnight. There are short, medium and long term effects of every action that we take. Every one intending to deliver a solution that has a positive impact, must be careful to avoid unintended consequences. They must also be vigilant to ensure that early efforts in the right direction are sustained and supported over time. Ultimately, the definition, codification and measurement will allow us to clearly establish qualitative and quantitative data that can be used to guide implementation of globally impactful solutions.

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How can Thruline Networks can help?

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1. Impact Assessment - we review your existing impact efforts, benchmark them against industry standards and determine where you have opportunities to improve
2. Impact Measurement & Analysis - we leverage best practices and emerging standards to determine the most appropriate set of qualitative and quantitative metrics for your impact efforts, and provide a roadmap for how to get your organization on the right track
3. Impact Acceleration - we help design and implement projects and programs to deliver systematic change and the lasting impact you seek to deliver
4. Impact Partnership - whether your need applies to data analytics, technology, strategy, execution, or marketing / communications, we help you engage with the right partner in our ecosystem to support you along the way to your goal.

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