Aspire Circle & Aspire Impact to launch India’s first set of independent standards for NPOs

New Delhi, Nov 9 (Representative) Aspire Circle and Aspire Impact teamed up with Capgemini and other CSR and Non-Profit leaders to launch India’s first set of independent standards for non-for-profit organizations (NPOs) in presence of 100+ social leaders of India. The step was taken to further catalyse India’s non-profit sector and provide a framework for standards-based Impact assessment & ratings. The publication, called ‘Impact Assessment Standards for NPOs’ provides a framework for NPOs, including philanthropies and CSR units to measure their impact, secure third-party independent ratings through key performance indices and make impact comparable across causes and projects for enhanced impact performance. This has been necessitated not just by recent CSR guidelines mandating corporations to report impact assessments for projects over Rs 1 crore but also by the proposed rules for imminent Social Stock Exchange in India.

This publication was put together by more than 20 industry practitioners over a period of six months. These practitioners, put together by Aspire, documented 13 impact categories, 41 impact themes, and 130+ KPIs, to be collated from primary and secondary data sources, for a well-rounded NPO project rating. The framework is introduced as a crucial part of Aspire’s Impact Future Project (IFP), which seeks to maintain a sustainable balance in the relationship between people and the planet. The rising scope and influence of NPOs makes it impossible to ignore their activities and how their actions affect communities and the planet, especially with respect to the SDGs. This Impact Assessment Standards for NPOs published by Aspire Circle, Aspire Impact, Capgemini, and other stakeholders is, therefore, a timely intervention as it fulfils a need that has long stood in the way of effective measurement and evaluation of the Impact of NPOs, including NGOs, philanthropies, CSR units of organizations, and other not-for-profit establishments in India, and across the world.

Amit Bhatia, Founder and Managing Trustee of Aspire Circle, said- “India needs an impact assessment framework which is based on standards and makes Impact empirical and comparable. Our survey shows that whereas 100% of non-profit leaders consider impact measurement a top priority, 84% find it hard to measure impact and 67% find current approaches & methods ineffective. Aspire’s impact assessment standards and 4P framework will transform NPO impact assessments.” Anurag Pratap, VP & CSR Leader- Capgemini,said: “It is important to measure the impact of NPOs, not just because it enhances transparency and builds brand trust, but it also affords them the opportunity to showcase their real impact on people, communities, and the planet. With that, they are better able to attract more donors, be financially sustainable, and improve their scale, programmes, and reach.