Common Questions
What is impact investing?
Impact investments are investments made into companies, organizations, and funds with the intention to generate measurable social and environmental impact alongside a financial return. Impact investments can be made in both emerging and developed markets, and target a range of returns from below market to market rate, depending upon the circumstances. Impact investors actively seek to place capital in businesses and funds that can harness the positive power of enterprise. Learn more about impact investing here.
Why should I use IRIS?
The IRIS catalog pulls together the most useful metrics from across the impact investing industry and puts them in one place which makes it easier to create an informed performance measurement system and reduce mistakes that could affect your credibility. Using IRIS metrics also makes it easier to compare your performance with others and communicate your results to the entire industry. If you are interested in tracking your performance results, the IRIS catalog is your resource for selecting social, environmental, and financial metrics.
What’s required to use IRIS?
There is no single combination of IRIS metrics that will be right for all organizations. As such, using IRIS does not require that all or even certain metrics are tracked. Instead, IRIS users select a set of IRIS metrics specifically relevant to their own activities, impact objectives, and stakeholder requirements, among other potential criteria.
How much does it cost to use IRIS?
The IRIS metrics are available for free. You can browse the catalog and use the metrics and resources however you choose. Users are encouraged to register their IRIS use on the IRIS registry and to cite IRIS metrics in external reports and communications.
Who uses IRIS? How can I get started using IRIS?
IRIS is being used by leading impact organizations from across the globe. To see some examples of how these organizations are using IRIS, view their profiles on the IRIS registry, a directory of IRIS users that highlights the specific metrics they track and that can be searched by sector, geography, or impact focus.
To get started with IRIS, you can read our Getting Started with IRIS guide as well as several use cases with details about how different organizations have integrated IRIS metrics into their impact measurement practices.
Who manages IRIS?
The IRIS initiative is managed by the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN). The IRIS metrics catalog is maintained and updated with support from an Advisory Body comprising experts in impact measurement and other related areas. Metrics are considered for inclusion in IRIS through a rigorous process that involves input and consultation from a broad and diverse group of stakeholders.
