For funders and investors, the Common Framework provides a reliable, auditable way to aggregate diverse data into the high-level IRIS+ categories. For social purpose organizations (SPOs), the Common Approach provides the flexibility to maintain metrics that matter to their beneficiaries, while remaining investor-ready.
1. Bridging the Gap Between Bespoke and Standardized
The Common Framework is designed to work seamlessly with standardized libraries like IRIS+. While an investor may prefer IRIS+ metrics for portfolio-level reporting, their investees may already be using bespoke metrics that are better suited to their community’s needs.
The Common Framework allows these two worlds to coexist. Through construct-based equivalence, organizations can group different metrics—some from IRIS+, some bespoke—under a shared underlying “construct” (such as “food security” or “decent work”). An investor can use the Common Framework to aggregate data from ten different organizations using ten different sets of indicators, resulting in a cohesive impact report without forcing every organization to change how they measure their work.
2. Reducing the Burden on social purpose organizations
The GIIN’s work is primarily investor-facing. The Common Approach, conversely, centers the needs of the SPO. By adopting Common Approach standards, organizations can meet the high data requirements of GIIN-aligned investors while keeping their internal processes lean.
The Common Foundations (the five essential practices of impact measurement) ensure that organizations have the internal capacity to collect the high-quality data that IRIS+ requires. When an SPO follows the Common Approach, they aren’t just “filling out a form” for a funder; they are building a sustainable measurement practice that provides value back to their mission.
3. Enabling Interoperability Through the Common Impact Data Standard
While IRIS+ defines what to measure, the Common Approach’s Common Impact Data Standard defines how to share that data digitally. By providing a technical ontology for impact data, the Common Approach ensures that IRIS+ metrics can be shared across different software platforms without manual re-entry.
This technical layer turns IRIS+ from a static list of indicators into a dynamic, flowing stream of information. It allows an organization to report to multiple funders—some who use GIIN standards and some who use the SDGs or the Canadian Index of Wellbeing—using a single, interoperable data set.
