For immediate release

New Management Tool Pinpoints the Value of Partnerships Between Corporations and Non-Profits.

Toronto, Ontario — July 9, 2009:  Toronto-based Impakt Corporation has developed a management tool to help corporations and non-profit organizations benchmark and improve the value of partnership programs.  

Today, partnerships between corporations and non-profit organizations need to have measurable business and social impact. However, most corporations don’t have the tools to assess the business value of strategic partnerships with non-profits and mangers aren’t able to be accountable for these investments.

Non-profit organizations are also in need of a reliable measurement tool. In the current economic climate, non-profits need strategies to retain and leverage partnerships with corporations but don’t have the data to track the business and social impacts of their programs.

According to Jay Handelman, Associate Professor of Marketing and Director of the Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility at Queen’s School of Business, “ The Valuation Tool developed by Impakt presents companies and not-for-profit organizations with a powerful means to assess their own goals regarding what they need from these social partnerships and then to further assess what resources they need to put in place to make these partnerships succeed.”

Since it’s inception in 2001, measuring business and social outcomes has been central to how Impakt has helped improve the performance of community investment programs.  In 2008, the company’s experience in this area was crystallized into the Impakt Valuation Tool. Since then, Impakt has helped organizations including 3M and Hydro Ottawa to benchmark their most important partnerships.

“The Impakt Valuation Tool is versatile and flexible”, says Paul Klein, President of Impakt. “It can be used to compare partnerships to one another, or to track a partnership’s progression over several years. The tool is also easily tailored to fulfill the unique needs of each corporation or non-profit that uses it.”

“It is by far the most comprehensive tool I have seen. I also believe it would help CR and CSR managers do a much better job of gaining management and company support for the organizations they support. ” John Tully, Director of Michelin Development, Michelin North America

In addition to offering the partnership valuation as a “stand-alone” service, Impakt is now using the Impakt Valuation Tool with all its clients and has also designed a half-day workshop that provides clients with an initial reading on the value of a key partnership program. 

“We designed the Impakt Valuation Tool to be a cost-effective way for corporations and non-profits to get an evidence-based assessment of the business and social value of major partnerships,” added Paul Klein.

For more information about the Impakt Valuation Tool, visit: http://www.impaktcorp.com/valuation.htm.

 For further information or to arrange an interview: Paul Klein, President of Impakt, 416-483-6191 x 229.

 About Impakt: Impakt helps corporations and non-profit organizations improve the performance of community investments. Impakt has helped corporations including BC Hydro, De Beers, Hain-Celestial, Hydro Ottawa, McKesson, National Bank, Petro-Canada, Pfizer, RONA, Staples Business Depot and 3M to improve this important aspect of their business. Impakt has also helped non-profit organizations including the Kidney Foundation of Canada, Ontario Veterinary College, and Toronto’s Ronald McDonald House to increase profile and revenue through partnerships with corporations.

Impakt was founded by Paul Klein in 2001. Paul is an authority on corporate responsibility and community investment who writes a blog and hosts a web video series about corporate responsibility for Canadian Business Online, sits on the Advisory Board of the Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility at the Queen's School of Business, and is currently writing a book about the social impact of community investment.