Number of unique households who were first-time clients of the organization during the reporting period.
Organizations should footnote all assumptions used, including source of data. See usage guidance for further information.
This metric is intended to capture the number of unique households that received the organization's products or services during the reporting period for the first time. Examples of organizations that might report against this metric include those that provide products such as clean cookstoves or water purification systems and those that provide services such as home weatherization. Organizations that provide goods and services at the individual level, such as vaccines or school lunches, may find it more appropriate to report against Client Individuals: Total (PI4060) and related submetrics.
Depending on the industry and business model, organizations may define new clients as those who re-engage with the organization after a designated time period. For example, the Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX) defines new borrowers as either those who receive loans for the first time from the institution or borrowers who rejoin after more than one year.
Many organizations may not be able to report on the number of client households using direct data. For example, organizations that sell water purification systems through a series of local network distributors might estimate the number of client households reached based on the number of units sold. Organizations should footnote details on how and why these assumptions were made.
This metric is multi-dimensional with regard to the five dimensions of impact. It may help describe the WHO dimension when the stakeholder group represented by the metric is the stakeholder group targeted by the investment or organization. It may also help measure the HOW MUCH Scale dimension, which helps estimate the number of the targeted stakeholders experiencing the outcome. For more on the alignment of IRIS metrics to the five dimensions of impact, see IRIS+ and the Five Dimensions of Impact (https://iris.thegiin.org/document/iris-and-the-five-dimensions/). No single metric is sufficient to understand an impact; rather, metrics are selected as a set across all dimensions of impact. When possible, the selection of metrics to measure and describe the five dimensions should be based on best practice and evidence.
This is a submetric of Client Households: Total (PI7954), which has 10 other related submetrics.
Metrics identified as "cross-category" are those that are relevant to any IRIS+ Impact Category or Impact Theme (i.e., these metrics are not specific to any particular industry/category or theme).
June 2022 - IRIS v5.3 Released (current version)
Immaterial change. Minor revision to usage guidance for clarity.
January 2020 - IRIS v5.1 Released
No change.
May 2019 - IRIS v5.0 Released
No change.
March 2016 - IRIS v4.0 Released
No change.
March 2014 - IRIS v3.0 Released
New metric. Client Households: New (PI6991) was developed via the IRIS Taxonomy Group.
IRIS Metrics Work Better in Sets
To use IRIS metrics—and the resulting data—to understand impact performance, IRIS metrics should be used and analyzed in generally accepted sets and according to well-defined objectives. IRIS+ gives you access to generally accepted Core Metrics Sets aligned to common Impact Themes and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).