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Overview

The Impact Gaps Canvas is a framework used by organizations to analyze their impact by identifying gaps between their current impact and their desired impact. The canvas is designed to encourage systems thinking and holistic understanding of impact, helping organizations identify root causes of issues and develop actionable solutions. It consists of questions to understand challenges, map solutions, and visualize impact gaps, making it a valuable resource for teams aiming to align their sustainability goals and collaborate effectively.

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Dimensions

Resource type: The Impact Gaps Canvas is a structured framework that enables users to map out and address the complexities of social challenges by bridging the solution and challenges.

• Tags: tool, framework, canvas

Objective: The framework facilitates organizations' efforts in identifying and addressing disparities between their current impact and desired outcomes, fostering strategic alignment with sustainable objectives.

• Tags: map, assess

Target audience: The canvas is designed for a diverse group of individuals and organizations that are involved in creating social change, including those in academia and social entrepreneurship.

• Tags: entrepreneurs, researchers, students, educators, nonprofits, startups

Sustainability focus: By addressing social problems through a systems-led approach, the Impact Gaps Canvas inherently supports social sustainability and encourages solutions that consider environmental and economic sustainability.

• Tags: social-sustainability, environmental-sustainability, economic-sustainability

Innovation type: The canvas supports social innovation by helping users to design novel approaches to complex social issues.

• Tags: social-innovation, business-model-innovation

Entrepreneurship stage: It is applicable across various stages of entrepreneurship, especially useful during the ideation and design phases where understanding the problem and existing solutions is crucial.

• Tags: ideation, design

Scope of relevance: The canvas helps organizations assess the scope of relevance of their initiatives, considering factors such as geographical reach and stakeholder involvement to ensure maximum impact.

• Tags: global, local

Methodological approach: It guides organizations in selecting the most suitable methodological approaches, such as participatory action research or systems thinking, to analyze impact gaps and develop effective solutions.

• Tags: qualitative-research, quantitative-research, mixed-methods

Skill development: Users of the canvas can develop skills in systems thinking, holistic thinking, and innovative thinking, all of which are important for sustainable entrepreneurship.

• Tags: systems-thinking, holistic-thinking, innovative-thinking

Source and credibility: The tool is based on research funded by the Clore Social Leadership Programme and has been utilized in reputable academic and social entrepreneurship contexts.

• Tags: academic-institutions, recognized-experts, research

Prerequisites and requirements: The canvas is designed to be accessible to a wide range of users, with no specific prerequisites required to get started.

• Tags: none, beginner-level

Collaboration level: The Impact Gaps Canvas encourages collaboration among various stakeholders to address complex social issues effectively.

• Tags: team, community, cross-sector-partnerships

More information can be found at Impact Gaps Canvas where a video tutorial is provided.

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Resources