ABOUT The Principles
Working closely with Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) specialists, ESOs working across Asia, funders, and a strong team of highly experienced ESO founders, specialists, and leaders, we are developing a set of agreed best practice impact measurement principles for ESOs to adopt and funders to align with.
About The Principles
Working closely with Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) specialists, ESOs working across Asia, funders, and a strong team of highly experienced ESO founders, specialists, and leaders, we are developing a set of agreed best practice impact measurement principles for ESOs to adopt and funders to align with.
Impact Measurement Principles for Entrepreneurship Support (IMPES) is a project kick-started under Frontiers Lab Asia (FLA). FLA brings teams together to collaboratively test and build scalable solutions to challenges facing entrepreneurs. They do this by convening entrepreneur support organisations (ESOs), early-stage investors, foundations, development agencies, and entrepreneurs themselves to identify systemic challenges facing those who are growing impactful businesses in Asia. They then work with them to collaboratively scope, prototype, and scale solutions to these challenges.
One of the systemic challenges that has been identified is the misalignment in approaches and best practices towards impact measurement between ESOs and funders.
Our team of 14 core ESOs, with the input of 10 funding agencies, identified a need for funders and ESOs to be more aligned in what effective support for entrepreneurs looks like and how this can be measured as well as a need for ESO capacity building in impact measurement.
In order to meet that need, IMPES has created a set of Guiding Principles for ESO Impact Measurement.
Impact Measurement Principles for Entrepreneurship Support (IMPES) is a project kick-started under Frontiers Lab Asia (FLA). FLA brings teams together to collaboratively test and build scalable solutions to challenges facing entrepreneurs. They do this by convening entrepreneur support organisations (ESOs), early-stage investors, foundations, development agencies, and entrepreneurs themselves to identify systemic challenges facing those who are growing impactful businesses in Asia. They then work with them to collaboratively scope, prototype, and scale solutions to these challenges.
One of the systemic challenges that has been identified is the misalignment in approaches and best practices towards impact measurement between ESOs and funders.
Our team of 14 core ESOs, with the input of 10 funding agencies, identified a need for funders and ESOs to be more aligned in what effective support for entrepreneurs looks like and how this can be measured as well as a need for ESO capacity building in impact measurement.
In order to meet that need, IMPES has created a set of Guiding Principles for ESO Impact Measurement.
To Create the Principles
ESOs formed core team
Countries
ESOs Surveyed
Funding Agencies
Phase One
Scoping
April to July 2021
Complete
An initial dedicated scoping period
We built these principles on the foundations of human-centred design, including an initial scoping period where we conducted:
- Desk research into existing resources and tools
- Workshops, discussions, and interviews with 14 ESOs
- Surveys with 33 ESOs representing over 15 countries
- Interviews with 10 funding agencies (government agencies, NGOs, philanthropic foundations, and intermediaries) that directly partner with and support ESOs across the region to build entrepreneurship ecosystems
The purpose of this phase was to thoroughly understand the needs, challenges, and opportunities and to receive essential feedback on building a possible solution.
We moved forward to the prototyping phase
Our solution then entered a prototyping phase where we began building a set of guiding principles for impact measurement. These were co-created and tested using insights from the scoping phase and the ‘early adopters’ made up of funders and ESOs who could bring the principles to life by trialling them in their organisations.
More than 30 organisations contributed to the development of the first set of principles, giving input into their design and coming on board as early testers and adopters.
Additional industry experts also joined the prototype team as advisors and consultants, including MEL Specialists, DEI specialists, gender specialists, and ESO leaders.
During this stage, we also developed an impact evaluation framework for this project and the principles themselves. The framework aims to assist with the continuous improvement loop and implementation success.
Phase Two
Prototyping
July to September 2021
Complete
Phase Two
Prototyping
July to September 2021
We moved forward to the prototyping phase
We began building a set of guiding principles for impact measurement. These were co-created and tested with insights from the scoping phase, and ‘early adopters’, made up of funders and ESOs, who could bring the principles to life by trialing the implementation of them in their organisations.
More than 30 organisations contributed to the development of the first set of Principles, giving input into their design, feedback, and coming on board as early testers and adopters.
Additional industry experts also joined the prototype team as advisors and consultants, including MEL Specialists, DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) Specialists, Gender Specialists, and ESO leaders.
Alongside development of the Principles, we also developed an impact evaluation framework for this project and the Principles themselves, as part of the Prototyping phase. The intention of this is to assist with the continuous improvement loop and implementation success.
July to September 2021
Complete
Phase Three
Roll Out
September 2021 – Onwards
We Are Here
The Roll Out Starts
From here we are making these guiding principles public and open source and invite new adopters to join our next step: growing a community of practitioners to implement and endorse these living principles, receive and give support and resources, and ultimately join our efforts to align (whether you are an ESO or a funder of ESO work) to create clear, best practice impact measurement for our work.
September 2021- onwards
We are here!
Scale up the adoption of the Principles
We are currently developing plans and working as a community of practice to scale this project and the adoption of the principles within our ecosystem.
Our Theory of Change/What Success Looks Like:
At the heart of this mission is our desire to help ESOs and funders use best practice impact measurement and management strategies so that they can learn more about the impact their programs have, act on this learning, and ultimately continuously grow and evolve their programs so that they better serve the entrepreneurs they seek to support.
Scale up the adoption of the Principles
We are currently developing plans and working as a community of practice to scale this project and the adoption of the principles within our ecosystem.
Our Theory of Change/What Success Looks Like:
At the heart of this mission is our desire to help ESOs and funders use best practice impact measurement and management strategies so that they can learn more about the impact their programs have, act on this learning, and ultimately continuously grow and evolve their programs so that they better serve the entrepreneurs they seek to support.
THE PRINCIPLES
A set of living, open source Guiding Principles for ESO Impact Measurement, led by a Community of Practice, and developed with input from key stakeholders.
Explore by Principle, or start with
1: Understand what success looks like for entrepreneurs
2: Measure the Health of your ESO
3: Measure immediate, intermediate and long-term outcomes
4. Understand and align with the goals of key stakeholders
5. Invest in Monitoring, Evaluation, & Learning (MEL)
6: Practise data collection methods that are accessible for diverse entrepreneurs
7: Validate what you measure
THE PRINCIPLES
A set of living, open source Guiding Principles for ESO Impact Measurement, led by a Community of Practice, and developed with input from key stakeholders.
Explore by Principle or start with
