B1G1 - 2024 impact report review
Lots of businesses in the B Corp community (and beyond) choose to give through B1G1. It’s an organisation that interests me given it’s role as a bridge between businesses and charitable projects.
👍🏻 Three things I like:
1. CLEAR ON THEIR PURPOSE & GOAL
They talk about helping businesses integrate “effective giving into their everyday activities” and “embracing the philosophy of giving”.
This gives clear context to their approach and business model.
2. USE OF CASE STUDIES
They include case studies of their members and the beneficiaries they support, bringing their impact to life. I particularly liked the case study of Irene, a beneficiary, and talking about the ripple effects that funding her had on the wider community over time.
There is scope to make these case studies stronger by including quotes from members and beneficiaries, talking about the impact that B1G1 has had on them. External voices really strengthen an impact report.
3. EXPLANATION OF GROUP STRUCTURE
I like how they explain their group structure, the different organisations, how the funds flow and where impact is delivered.
❓Three questions it raises:
1. WHAT’S THEIR STRATEGY & ROADMAP
What’s the longer term journey they are on and how did this year fit into that?
What were their objectives for the year and how did they do against them?
What are their objectives for next year?
2. HOW DO THEY ENSURE DONATIONS HAVE AN IMPACT?
They say “we ensure that your contributions are always made impactful and effective” but they don’t say how to do this.
What people are funding is activities (e.g. meals, bricks, days of education). How do B1G1 ensure that these actually make a meaningful difference to the lives of beneficiaries?
3. HOW DO THEY DETERMINE IMPACT ON SDGs?
They align donation options (what they call “impacts”) to different UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
To what extent is the portfolio of SDGs donated to determined by members (and where they choose to donate) versus B1G1’s strategy and which projects they offer to members as donation options?
Also, they share number of “impacts” donated per SDG. Is one impact the same as another? Are we comparing apples with apples? How do they know this? It would be helpful to see financial donation as well as number of impacts.
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You can read the report for yourself here. Let me know what you think!
If you’re preparing to write your own impact report, you might find my FREE Impact Reporting Roadmap helpful:
Or find out how we can help you create an engaging impact report that builds trust, inspires action and reflects your progress here.