Nonprofits
Nonprofit impact report template: what funders actually want
Published
Short answer
Funders want five things: who you served, what changed for them, how you know, what it cost per outcome, and what you would do differently. Anything beyond those five is usually read last or not at all.
1. Who you served
Numbers served, with the demographic breakdown the grant asked for, and a plain statement of how you counted. If a participant attending twelve sessions counts once, say so — inconsistent counting between reports is the fastest way to lose credibility.
2. What changed
Outcomes, not activities. 'Delivered 40 workshops' is an activity. '68% of participants who completed the program were still employed at six months' is an outcome. Program officers are reading for the second kind.
3. How you know
State the method briefly: pre and post survey, administrative records, follow-up calls at six months. Include the response rate. A modest result with a clear method reads better than a spectacular one with no method behind it.
4. What it cost
Cost per participant and, where you can, cost per outcome. Funders compare across their portfolio whether or not you give them the number, so it is better to give it with context.
5. What you would change
Name one thing that did not work and what you did about it. This is the section most organisations leave out and the one that most reliably builds trust. A report with no problems in it reads as a report that was not examined.
A local example
A workforce program reporting 68% six-month retention with a 74% survey response rate, and a note that evening sessions had half the completion rate of morning ones, is more fundable than a report claiming 95% success with no method stated.
Start with a free 20-minute call
Tell us what you are trying to figure out. If we are not the right fit, we will say so on the call.