Impact assessment is a critical part of our work. Since 2005, we have published our Impact Dashboard to publicly present the findings of our annual analysis. The Dashboard provides a comprehensive description of impact results from the preceding year as well as a longitudinal analysis of outcomes across our portfolio. We focus our impact assessment efforts on two broad areas: first, MDIF’s direct impact on clients; and, second, our clients’ impacts on their societies.
Explore the interactive Impact Dashboard presentation showcasing the key findings, and access the complete PDF of the MDIF Impact Dashboard 2018.
94m
people reached with information by MDIF clients
176%
average reach increase after 5 years with MDIF
204%
average sales increase after 5 years with MDIF
Impact on clients
The Impact Dashboard 2018 found that media companies significantly grow their audiences and sales while working with MDIF. After five years of working together, clients increased their reach by a median of 32% and their sales by a median of 105%. This strengthened performance makes the companies more resilient to encroachments on their editorial independence and allows them to deepen the social impact of their work.
At the same time, despite increasing financial pressure facing the media sector globally, our clients generated a combined $381.4 million in sales, also the highest in MDIF’s history. Each dollar invested by MDIF leveraged $5.32 in client sales.
Impact on societies
Last year, 93.7 million people received their news from MDIF clients, a record high in MDIF’s 22 years of work. From a network of radio stations in Somalia to a digital news site in India, MDIF-supported media provided the independent news, information and debate that citizens need to build free, thriving societies. More than 96% of people reached by our clients live in countries where the press is not free or only partly free.
In 2017, we saw MDIF-supported news businesses play a central role in uprooting corruption, holding the powerful to account and changing perceptions on social issues. Many saw their journalism make an impact in their communities: 86% of clients reported publishing corruption and accountability stories that created an impact, while 64% declared the same about their social issues reporting. We also saw MDIF clients encourage democratic participation during elections. In 2017, we recorded 13 major elections in the countries in which our clients operate.
From reporting on illegal trade schemes in the occupied Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, through covering life-threatening air pollution in Nepal, to fact-checking voter fraud allegations in India, the Impact Dashboard 2018 highlights examples of clients’ efforts to provide timely, accurate, relevant information.
Download Impact Dashboard materials
Read the full Impact Dashboard 2018, a summary interactive or the Impact Dashboard Methodology.