My program does not work with people, how do we report in True Impact?

Activities Section

Activities describe how your organization creates impact. When selecting activities, focus on who you are directly engaging with through your programming.

Most environmental and animal-focused programs fall into one of the following categories:

Direct Service

You are directly engaging with your target population (either animals, people, or the environment).

Examples:

• Operating an animal shelter

• Providing medical care for animals

• Habitat restoration work

• Wildlife rehabilitation

• Environmental cleanup efforts

In this case, the animals or ecosystems you work with are the direct beneficiaries of your programming.

Capacity Development

You are working through other entities that then go on to support your target population.

Examples:

• Training volunteers to support animal rescue efforts

• Providing resources or training to shelters or conservation organizations

• Conducting research that informs conservation practices

• Educating community members about environmental stewardship

In this model, the organizations or individuals you support are intermediaries, and they then create impact for animals or the environment.

Policy and Advocacy

You are improving outcomes for animals or the environment through policy change, legislation, or advocacy work.

Examples:

• Advocating for animal protection laws

• Environmental policy reform

• Campaigns to change industry practices

• Legal protections for habitats or species

Here, the pathway to impact is through system-level change rather than direct programming.

Building Your Impact Model

Our models are intentionally broad and adaptable, allowing organizations to select a general template and tailor it to their specific work.

Organizations working in animal welfare or environmental impact will typically use the Environment and Sustainability cause category with the following models available:

• Environmental Conservation
• Recycling and Waste
• Sustainable Agriculture
• Sustainable Business Practices
• Wildlife Conservation
• Domestic Animal Welfare

These templates can be customized to reflect your specific outcomes.

Impact Summary and Details

As you complete the Impact Summary and Impact Details sections, focus on the following key components.

Beneficiaries

Beneficiaries are the populations most impacted by your work. For environmental and animal-focused organizations, this may include:

• Animals

• Specific species (e.g., dogs, cats, marine wildlife)

• Community members

• People

If your work focuses on environmental protection, it is common to list community members as beneficiaries even if you do not directly measure outcomes for them.

Reach

Reach reflects who you directly work with through your programming. Examples may include:

• Animals served or protected

• Volunteers engaged

• Partner organizations supported

• Community members participating in environmental programs

• Policy stakeholders or decision-makers engaged

The Reach stage helps illustrate the scale of your activities.

Succeed

Succeed captures the end outcomes created by your work. These outcomes may focus on:

• Animal welfare improvements

• Habitat restoration or protection

• Environmental quality improvements

• Species protection or population recovery

• Community environmental benefits

Organizations focused on environmental outcomes often report environmental indicators (such as acres restored or waste removed) without needing to estimate people-level outcomes.

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Key Tip

Your impact model should reflect how your organization actually creates change.

Focus on:

• Who you directly engage with

• How that engagement leads to outcomes

• What ultimately improves as a result of your work

The framework is designed to be flexible—so it can represent programs that support people, animals, ecosystems, or a combination of all three.

 

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