Number of people who are direct stakeholders of a specific product or service offered or enabled by the organization.
Organizations should footnote their definition of stakeholder and how they benefit from the organization's product or service, along with all assumptions used, including source of data. See usage guidance for further information.
This metric is intended to capture the number of direct stakeholder beneficiaries in the communities served by the organization through a specific product or service. Organizations are encouraged to report this metric in combination with Target Stakeholder Geography (PD6424), capturing a specific geographic boundary for the stakeholder population.
Organizations are encouraged to report all three IRIS+ metrics, Service Area Population (PI5586), Communities Served (PI2476) and Client Individuals (PI4060). Such distinction is important to align impact performance with the organization's theory of change, and to understand how direct and indirect beneficiaries were targeted and affected. For example, a water utility provider may serve a geographic area, measured by Target Stakeholder Geography (PD6424), with 45 million individuals, measured by Service Area Population (PI6686), of which 35 million individuals are part of communities that the organization intends to target with a specific product or service, measured by Communities Served (PI2476), while the provider may be actively providing service to 20 million individuals, measured by Client Individuals: Total (PI4060).
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).
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).