Getting Started When a Donor Invites You

Why you're being asked to report

A donor has asked you to share the outcomes of a program they've supported. Reporting isn't just a box to check — it's your chance to show, in clear and comparable terms, what their funding helped your program achieve. A strong report demonstrates accountability, tells the story of your work, and builds the kind of credibility that supports future funding, from this donor and others.

What you'll create

You'll build an impact report in True Impact that captures your program: a description, the time period and locations, your activities, your impact model and results, the people you serve, and your budget. A few things are specific to reporting for a donor:

• You'll allocate their donation to this report, so it's clear how their contribution connects to your impact.
• Your report will be submitted for feedback so you'll have a chance to review any comments left and update your report before publishing.
• You report on your program's full impact — not only the portion this one grant paid for. Most nonprofits finish in about 1–2 hours.

How to get started

1. Sign in to True Impact. See Logging Into Your True Impact Account.
2. Find the to-do task to allocate your donor's investment. Your donor's reporting request will be waiting in your account. Review Allocation a Donation for more details. 
3. Build your report. Work through the builder sections. See How to Create an Impact Report.
4. Submit for feedback. True Impact (and maybe your donor) reviews and may request changes. See Responding to Feedback.

Optional: You can also share your finished report with the Impact Reporting Network — turn it on in your report's visibility settings.

Requests specific to your donor

Beyond the standard report, your donor may ask for a few things unique to them. As you build, keep an eye out for:

• Custom questions at the end. Some donors add their own questions to the very end of the report. If yours has, you'll see them after the standard sections.
• Custom guidance throughout. Your donor may provide specific guidance as you go — for example, particular indicators to use, demographic categories they need to see, or other information they want captured in certain sections. Watch for these notes while you build.
• Anything else in your introduction email. Your reporting introduction email is the source of truth for your donor's specific requests. If you're ever unsure what your donor needs, start there.