ImpactMatters connects smart givers to high impact nonprofits, helping both do more good. Donors want to give to nonprofits that share their values. And they need to gain confidence their dollars are put to good use. ImpactMatters is the platform where donors can give with real trust. ImpactMatters is introducing Guided Impact Reporting (G.I.R.), a free web app that guides you to quantify your impact. The app walks one through a structured set of questions and requires only the data one have readily at hand.

With a click, G.I.R. generates an impact report, which shows donors exactly what you’ve accomplished: How has your nonprofit changed the world? What did it cost to power that change? Their standard for impact auditing informs every aspect of the app’s design. For instance, the app guides you to take account of what would have happened in the absence of the program (the counterfactual case). It also prompts to consider whether the participants’ success displaces or enhances the success of others.

Behind the scenes, their researchers regularly review the research literature on the effectiveness of a broad spectrum of interventions. They build their research directly into G.I.R., allowing to leverage rigorous evidence relevant to the program.

Impact is the change in outcomes — e.g. lives saved or income earned — caused by a social program. Impact analysis shows that there can be massive differences in the effectiveness of different programs run by nonprofits. Today, these differences are hidden from donors. Their ratings identify those differences and present them to donors in an easy-to-use format, enabling data-driven decisions.

American donors report caring strongly about impact. Yet no major nonprofit rater assesses results. ImpactMatters is filling this gap with a new rating system that rewards nonprofits that are highly impactful. To issue ratings, they gather information published by the nonprofit, calculate its cost-effectiveness and assign 1-5 stars.