The BBB Wise Giving Alliance recently surveyed more than 2,100 adults in the US to explore how individual donors perceive charity impact. The Give.org Special Report: Charity Impact showed that 47% of the respondents indicated that they were unclear or did not know what impact means. Another interesting point in the study is that there were generational differences in how impact was actually defined among each population.
The fact that nearly half of the people surveyed are unclear about this term could hurt future giving. So many nonprofits have made the move from using an annual report to an impact report. They are talking about the impact they make but only showing numbers, not long-term outcomes. Could this be the reason donors are confused?