Describes the relationship between the organization and its target stakeholders.
Organizations should footnote all assumptions used.
This metric is intended to capture the relationships that link the organization to its intended stakeholders. Organizations are encouraged to report on this metric in conjunction with Target Stakeholders (OD7212).
When reporting against this metric, organizations should qualitatively describe the relationship between their activities and their target stakeholders, as indicated under Target Stakeholders (OD7212), focusing primarily on the number and types of intermediaries.
For example, an organization manufacturing solar lanterns and distributing them through a network of distributors might respond: "We target clients and distributors as our stakeholders. The end users of the solar lanterns (clients) benefit from gaining access to clean electricity and light, and the distributors/retailers of the solar lanterns benefit by having jobs and income."
An organization that procures produce from farmers might respond: "The smallholder farmers that supply the mangoes to the organization to produce mango juice are our target stakeholders. A portion of the mangoes are purchased directly from farmers, and the remaining mangoes are purchased from a local cooperative which purchases directly from farmers."
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
Immaterial change. Name, definition, and usage guidance updated to clarify "beneficiaries" as "stakeholders."
March 2016 - IRIS v4.0 Released
Immaterial change. Minor modification to metric name and definition language for clarity.
March 2014 - IRIS v3.0 Released
New metric. Relationship to Target Beneficiary Entity (OD7900) 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).