Metrics from the Ground Up, an international conference held by ANDE in Rio de Janeiro with the support of Fundo Vale, promoted emerging measurement practices around the world. Global experts discussed how metrics-driven decisions can boost the impact of organizations. Juliana Vilhena, social and environmental impact and innovation management leader at Fundo Vale, spoke about her organization’s impact measurement and management strategy. She presented GIMPACT, which is a model created within Fundo Vale, and the Impact Measurement and Management Maturity Index (IMAGIMP), a self-diagnostic tool that resulted from work done by Move Social in partnership with the CERTI Foundation and Fundo Vale.

Metrics are a link between companies and initiatives to drive sustainable change. This is what the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) demonstrated and discussed on October 23 and 24, by holding another edition of its Metrics from the Ground Up conference, with the support of Fundo Vale and the Tipping Point Fund on Impact Investing (TPF). As well as promoting connections, the aim of the event was to ensure that specialized knowledge of impact metrics circulates in the positive social and environmental impact ecosystem, through case studies and talks by internationally recognized experts.

Juliana Vilhena, Fundo Vale’s social and environmental impact and innovation management leader, spoke at the start of the conference, providing an overview of Fundo Vale’s activities and stressing the importance of impact measurement and management. She also led a panel discussion with Nathalia Cipoleta, Fundo Vale’s sustainability, data management and impact analyst; Elis Alquezar, partner in Move Social; Beatriz Motta, environmental analyst at Belterra Agroflorestas; and Ana Carolina Costa, data analyst at Conexsus. During this discussion, Vilhena shared the experience of GIMPACT, Fundo Vale’s impact measurement and management model, the challenges involved in implementing it and lessons learned from the model together with Move Social and other partner organizations such as Conexsus and Belterra. Thus, it was possible to show in practice how GIMPACT has been applied in initiatives supported by Fundo Vale.

“Being able to present Fundo Vale’s Impact Measurement and Management Model to other players in the ecosystem is very important, so that we can also evolve from an external perspective. Receiving feedback is enriching for the whole process. In addition, one of the stated objectives of both Fundo Vale’s 2030 Theory of Change and GIMPACT itself is to share knowledge. If our model and our construction process can generate gains for other organizations, we will be honored,” Cipoleta explains. “Conexsus and Belterra are also organizations with a lot to share about impact management, so bringing all these practices together in one place was inspiring.”

Pre-launch of IMAGIMP
 
Vilhena also announced the beta version of the new Impact Measurement and Management Maturity Index (IMAGIMP), a self-diagnostic tool developed by Move Social in partnership with the CERTI Foundation and Fundo Vale. According to her, the aim is to use evaluation items to reflect on aspects of social and environmental impact management in organizations, helping initiatives understand what stage of the process they are at and pointing out possible ways forward. 

“The tool is an invitation for companies to assess their maturity level in impact management. The goal is to help businesses develop a work plan. Based on this diagnosis, it is possible to create a plan divided into phases, featuring tactical actions, to start working on impact measurement and management. Any organizations (including civil society organizations, impact businesses, foundations and institutes) that set out to generate positive social and environmental impacts can use this tool to their advantage,” Vilhena revealed. 

Other highlights of Metrics from the Ground Up conference 
 
There were panels and workshops in three different rooms, with simultaneous activities. The speakers were from various organizations, including Fundo Vale, BNDES, Vox Capital, Visa, Anglo American Foundation, Latimpacto, Mercy Corps Ventures, Sweef Capital and Equality Fund.

During two busy days of a lot of content and sharing, Fundo Vale reaffirmed its values of building capabilities and acting through coalitions, by meeting with ecosystem stakeholders to discuss challenges and learn from the experience of other companies.

Here are some of the subjects explored during the event: 

• “Conducting internal evaluations for impact investors”
• “From screening to impact measurement: Taking advantage of the Equality Fund’s toolkit for investments from a gender perspective”
• “Data collection and analysis involving WhatsApp, ChatGPT and more”
• “Measuring the economic, social and environmental impacts of community businesses”
• “Expanding impact measurement and management from a gender and regenerative perspective”
• “Measuring the empowerment of women and girls”
• “Making ESG work for private equity capital investors in emerging markets”
• “Impact management tools for early-stage climate adaptation ventures”

 
Impact measurement at Fundo Vale
 
Supporting an internationally recognized conference like Metrics from the Ground Up, held by ANDE, reaffirms Fundo Vale’s commitment to the positive social and environmental impact business ecosystem, since without measurement there can be no impact management. Measurement and management strategies can support the direction of businesses.

At Fundo Vale, GIMPACT was built to measure impact advances and performance in the context of its Theory of Change. It is a cross-cutting model, applicable to all initiatives, encompassing impact business promotion and investment.  

“The objectives that guide Fundo Vale’s impact measurement and management are making evidence-based decisions, monitoring our impact performance, maintaining transparent relationships with our stakeholders, ensuring impact intentionality when scaling up solutions, generating learning, and contributing to practices in the field,” said Vilhena.