Impact measurement is one of the most important things that a social enterprise can do, it is needed not only by investors but also by the enterprise itself to learn more about the people they serve and if they are actually reaching their intended audience in an efficient way. There are many challenges when measuring social impact but Acumen has created a new method called lean data that is changing the game. Essentially lean data is a way of directly gathering information from those being reached in an easy and cost effective way that is unique to the enterprise and how they operate. Rather than focusing on big data like number of lives reached or jobs created, lean data seeks to gather information on the level of poverty the person lives in or how they actually get and use the good or service given. This new way of measuring social impact helps inform both the investor and the enterprise about their consumer and their actual level of impact based on the demographics or the people they are reaching.
