Data and insights

The data in our sixth annual Making the Mark report shows many impact management practices that were previously considered cutting-edge now represent a baseline expectation for impact investors.

How can the complex and variable impact attributes of investment products be distilled into something that is simple to interpret and easy to use?
This challenge has animated many investors, consultants, data providers, and organiza- tions seeking to streamline the evaluation and management of investment products over the years. Within the impact investing industry, clarifying how to effectively and efficiently interpret a product’s impact credentials is a major topic of conversation, with many market participants seeing this clarity as a necessary precursor to unlocking additional capital.

“Making the Mark V” aims to provide insights and clarity on the “how” of impact investing. Download for free today. Over 110+ investors verified overseeing a combined $233.5 billion in impact AUM.

 “A Field Guide: Impact Due Diligence and Management for Asset Allocators” aims to drive more rigor and consistency in how asset allocators evaluate and manage private market funds that invest for positive impacts on people and the planet. Developed in 2023 through interviews with 50+ Limited Partners (LPs) and General Partners (GPs) worldwide, along with desk research, this guide draws from the experiences and practices of experienced LPs and GPs investing in diverse strategies. It

Download Raising the Bar 2.0 to learn more about BlueMark’s framework for evaluating impact reporting, results from a pilot project with Impact Frontiers, and our insights into emerging best practices for impact reporting.

BlueMark’s fourth annual “Making the Mark” report takes a deeper dive into those impact management practices that are most (or least) common among different segments of the impact and sustainable investing market.

This article explores the key benefits of undergoing an impact rating assessment.

For fund managers, impact reports serve as a powerful tool for communicating the impact results of their portfolios. These reports not only provide transparency, but also can play a crucial role in engaging stakeholders and demonstrating appropriate accountability. BlueMark has led the advancement of best practices for impact reporting through original research and the development […]

Impact investing today finds itself at a crossroads, navigating a natural tension between two paths–the imperative for growth and the obligation to maintain rigorous accountability. But what if there was a middle path, one that balances scaling with safeguarding market integrity? The good news is impact investing continues to grow as more investors embrace “impact” […]

In the early days of impact investing, some investors would make the case for setting impact targets. You can’t manage what you don’t measure, they argued.
The not-always explicit response: Yes, and you can’t be held accountable for what you never promised. The latest Making the Mark report from the impact verification firm BlueMark found that only 42% of clients set impact performance targets as a condition of their investments. A larger number, 58%, work with portfolio companies to set targets after investments are made.

There is an obvious appeal to impact investing. While non-profits and grant funders are focused exclusively on fostering positive social, environmental, and cultural change, they do so at the expense of -100% financial returns. On the other hand, traditional finance tends to overlook these critical considerations while prioritizing short-term gains, generating potentially harmful, long-term effects […]

Family offices, longtime exemplars of values-based investing, are becoming more active impact investors. Among some of the very first movers in the Asian impact investing market, family offices, especially those run by younger generations, are continuing to mobilise capital towards sustainable and impact investments.