Reporting and impact audit: Formats and tools

Impact Reporting and Audit: Formats and Tools Serving Transparency and Transformation

At a time when impact finance seeks to reconcile performance, social utility, and traceability, reporting formats and impact audit systems play a central role. These mechanisms no longer simply check boxes; they are becoming true levers for governance, accountability, and, above all, co-construction between investors, project leaders, territories, and citizens.

A Diversity of Formats to Meet Multiple Requirements

ESG Reporting (Environmental, Social, Governance): often used by investors, it helps document non-financial risks and opportunities, and is now embedded in regulatory obligations (EU Taxonomy, CSRD, etc.).

SDG Reporting: links projects to specific targets of the Sustainable Development Goals. Increasingly adopted by public institutions and foundations seeking to align their commitments with universal targets.

Integrated Impact: a cross-cutting approach combining financial, non-financial, qualitative, and quantitative data within an integrated impact logic, with dynamic and evolving dashboards.

Technological Sources: Toward Intelligent Platforms

Smart Campus SDG Platform: an interoperable environment for monitoring academic and territorial projects related to the SDGs, with collaborative features and multi-criteria traceability.

G17-SDG Tracker Platform: an advanced digital tool to measure the impact of businesses and projects on the 17 SDGs, with real-time visualization, verifiable metadata, and compatibility with international standards.

Accessibility and Sharing: At the Core of the Architecture

To make impact reporting a reflex rather than a burden, user-friendliness is crucial:

• Platforms with ergonomic user interfaces (UI/UX).
• Clear presentation formats, accessible to both field stakeholders and analysts or funders.
• User surveys and prototype testing are regularly organized to ensure that the tools developed are relevant, intuitive, and useful.

An active strategy of institutional sharing with sustainable finance and SDG networks (Building Bridges, EU SDG Platform, etc.) enables harmonization of standards and expanded usage.

To discover the full vision, proposed tools, and use cases, we invite you to consult the White Book of the Geneva Foundation for the Future.

AGILE Tool – "Re-enchanting Finance: Toward a Convergence of Philanthropy, Investment, and Impact"