How do you measure and manage impact?

22 October 2024

Last week, the Netherlands Advisory Board on Impact Investing (NAB) organised a seminar on IMM: impact measurement & management. Given that StartGreen every year produces an extensive Impact Report released, NAB asked if we would like to come and explain how we measure and report the impact of our more than 125 portfolio companies.

Knowledge sharing

Our Impact Lead Suzanne Groen and Managing Partner Laura Rooseboom shared their knowledge and experience of measuring and recording impact that afternoon. The seminar, which was hosted by Triodos Investment Management, attended by over 60 interested parties, including fund and asset managers, but also by non-financial parties, such as reporting platforms. They not only received a crash course in impact investing, but could also ask all their questions and discuss dilemmas about impact investing and impact investing strategies.

Practical impact

Willem Vosmer from Steward Redqueen spoke about the basics of IMM application. He outlined the theoretical background using 5 building blocks that together form the impact framework:

• Strategy
• Procedure
• Governance
• Methods & Tools
• Reporting

Experts from Triodos and StartGreen illustrated each step with practical examples.

Challenges and examples

This is how Suzanne told us about it in step 3 sustainability policy: how we at StartGreen set our KPIs based on the SDGs (the UN's Sustainable Development Goals).

She also explained how we strike the right balance here between the different interests of all stakeholders: the Impact Lead wants reliable and measurable impact data. Good IMM is, after all, crucial for sound decision-making, accountability, and transparent communication. To achieve this, she must convince portfolio companies to provide impact figures (which is generally not their top priority). Impact measurement also creates value for them: it helps them to stand out from the competition.

Nikkie Yamba-Pelzer and Adam Kybird from Triodos Investment Management explained, among other things, how a Theory of Change can provide a framework for measuring and managing impact.

Suzanne Groen, Impact Lead StartGreen Capital:

‘It was an interesting afternoon for everyone involved, in which attendees were actively engaged and a lively debate about IMM emerged. In this way, it became an interactive, knowledge-sharing session where we could exchange best practices and truly learn from each other.’

Did you miss the seminar? On the NAB website Do you have the presentation and a summary of the seminar.