Since 2024, ImpactMapper has launched responsible AI tools to automate aspects of social impact tracking, specifically, such as summarizing text data, such as reports and evaluations, automatically writing up charts, and instant survey translation.  

• Instant Survey Translation: Say goodbye to expensive translation costs. ImpactMapper surveys are now powered with auto-translation, allowing you to translate your surveys to most languages with a click of a button! Most languages are supported, including but not limited to: West European, Central and Eastern European languages: Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Croatian, Albanian, Armenian, Bosnian, Serbian, Polish, Turkish, Ukrainian, etc.; East Asian languages, including Chinese, Japanese, Korean; South Asian languages, including Hindi, Bengali, etc, as well as Arabic, Russian, Greek, Yiddish, Thai, Vietnamese, Filipino, and Indonesian to name a few.

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• ‍Instant AI Insights: Real-time data analysis of surveys just got even faster (and sweeter!) with AI Insights! This feature automatically generates key insights from your data and charts - significantly reducing time spent analyzing survey data and boosting your overall efficiency and productivity.

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• AI Report Assistant. Ask questions and get answers from your uploaded pdf reports. Search for trends, key quotes, summaries, recommendations and much more, making report analysis faster.

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Each of these features were built to be very explicit and transparent. They can be purchased separately as Optional Add-Ons with multiple human-centered guardrails and fact-checks in place.

We created these features guided by four principles of our responsible AI approach:

1. Humans in the Loop

• We always ensure human oversight and user interface to help alert users where attention and review is needed. We do so by including:
  
  • Eye vs check icons in our translation features
  • Button for AI insights
  • Different color code for tagging text pilot

2. Data Ownership

• ImpactMapper does not own users' data and does not sell their data unlike other big software players. Users’ can request your data to be deleted at any time and all the data will be deleted from our database.

3. Transparency

• Control over AI Features. Users decide if they will enable AI or not in ImpactMapper. Users have to push a button to enable AI.

• We are committed to transparency in what is happening with your data. We do not use AI tools on your data in the background without your consent, like other big software players. Users have the power to enable and disable features.

4. Data Privacy and Security

• Data in ImpactMapper in a secure and encrypted AWS database housed in Germany.
• Accounts have double authentication in place through sms, adding an extra layer of security
• Our data is encrypted when sent to the AI models in transit and at rest. We are using a light version of Claude.ai
• No prompts or other data is stored after the models are run.
• No private data sent to external services, all data stays in encrypted ImpactMapper databases on our servers.

Frequently Asked Questions about our AI Features

What languages are supported in the automatic survey translation tool?

Most languages are supported, including but not limited to: West European, Central and Eastern European languages: Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Croatian, Albanian, Armenian, Bosnian, Serbian, Polish, Turkish, Ukrainian, etc.; East Asian languages, including Chinese, Japanese, Korean; South Asian languages, including Hindi, Bengali, etc, as well as Arabic, Russian, Greek, Yiddish, Thai, Vietnamese, Filipino, and Indonesian to name a few. Reach out to ask if your language is not listed here and our team will let you know. team@impactmapper.com Most likely it is!

‍How safe is my data?

Data is ImpactMapper is secure and encrypted in AWS databases and your account has double authentication in place through sms, adding an extra layer of security.

Your data is encrypted when sent to the AI models in transit and at rest. No prompts or other data is stored after the models are run. No private data sent to external services, all data stays in encrypted ImpactMapper databases on our AWS servers.

Does ImpactMapper own my data?

No, ImpactMapper does not own your data and does not sell your data unlike other big software players. You can request your data to be deleted at any time and all the data will be deleted.

Is AI always enabled in my account?

No, you decide if you will enable AI or not in ImpactMapper. We are committed to transparency in what is happening with your data. If you have paid for the AI upgrade on your account, then you can enable the AI features by clicking the appropriate feature button. It is important to note that we do not use AI tools on your data in the background without your consent, like other big software players. You have to enable each feature when you want it, by pressing AI buttons in the software, like the AI insights or auto-translation buttons.

Do you use my data to train external models like ChatGPT?

None of your data is shared with external LLM providers for training purposes.

Do you have other questions? Reach out, schedule a free discovery call with us here.

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Recommended links from our Impact Data Chats

ImpactMapper has organized three free webinars and data chats on AI and Social Impact Tracking; Ethical Uses of AI in Impact Reporting; and AI Tools for Impact Tracking.

Here is a curated list of recommended links shared by our ImpactMapper community across the years:

General AI tools/technology

• Futurepedia.io is a directory of different AI tools and a repository of AI news and trends. This is a good source of information on the latest about AI and users can get inspiration from the site on how to apply AI to their work‍
• ChatGPT is an AI chatbot that can answer questions, provide explanations, and engage in conversations across a wide range of issues.
• ‍Bard is a conversational AI chatbot. It is Google’s experimental conversational AI. It has similar functions as ChatGPT.
• ‍DeepL is an AI-powered real-time language translator. The technology can translate across 29 languages (and counting).
• ‍Otter.ai is an AI-powered transcription tool.
• ‍Upshot.ai is a customer experience and gamification platform that uses AI aimed at increasing user engagement, retention, and monetization.

Ethics in AI Frameworks

• UNESCO Assessment for the Recommendation on Ethical AI https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000386276
• Responsible AI Adoption Framework by TAG https://www.tagtech.org/ai-resources-for-philanthropy/
• PWC Australia 10 principles of AI  ethics https://www.pwc.com.au/digitalpulse/ten-principles-ethical-ai.html
• Responsible AI Assessments: Fair Forward https://openforgood.info/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Responsible-AI-Assessments-Part-A-Step-by-Step-Guide.pdf

Articles

• AI Ethics: What It Is, Why It Matters, and More https://www.coursera.org/articles/ai-ethics
• WEF recommendations for AI principles organizations must follow https://www.weforum.org/stories/2021/06/ethical-principles-for-ai/
• Overview of AI policies in 15 jurisdictions by Digital Watch https://dig.watch/updates/overview-of-ai-policy-in-15-jurisdictions
• The gray areas of ethical AI https://www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/how-navigate-grey-areas-ai-ethics
• Suzy Madigan. Care and Accenture Report report AI and the Global South: Making AI more ethical and effective through inclusive participation https://www.careinternational.org.uk/news-stories/ai-and-the-global-south-making-ai-more-ethical-and-effective-through-inclusive-participation/
• How AI reinforces gender bias—and what we can do about it https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/interview/2025/02/how-ai-reinforces-gender-bias-and-what-we-can-do-about-it
• The Movement to Decolonize AI: Centering Dignity Over Dependency https://hai.stanford.edu/news/movement-decolonize-ai-centering-dignity-over-dependency

Organizations working and monitoring ethics in AI

• MERL Tech
• NLP COP (they post a lot of great responsible AI resources)
• Oxford Internet Institute  https://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/research/ethics-and-philosophy-of-information/
• Women4EthicalAI https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/women4ethical-ai-calls-concerted-efforts-inclusive-trustworthy-and-ethical-ai-systems
• AI 4 Dev Conference by Develop Metrics
• Patrick J McGovern Foundation - Document Summaries using AI

Innovations in Grantmaking and Impact Tracking Software

• Blackbaud automated translation in their grants management software
• b.World uses a range of different AI tools in their software to expedite reporting processes, including draft content for a project, logic model or story for AI using open ai and visualising data and log frame trends.
• Candid leverages AI in its news feed and also focuses on reporting on misinformation
• Digital Science, has a range of AI summary tools, including Dimensions for scientific publications including tracking the trustworthiness of the research.
• Google Crisis Response is a platform that provides critical and timely information and resources during times of disasters, natural calamities, and other crisis or emergency situations. The platform can provide interactive crisis maps, notifications/alerts and latest news about the emergency situation, missing person finder, and information on where to donate or provide relief assistance.
• ImpactMapper is developing equitable AI tools to automate aspects of social impact tracking, specifically coding text data, such as grantee reports and evaluations.. A user can upload their custom impact metrics, theory of change, or SDGs and the tool suggests pieces of text that align with those outcomes, allowing for quicker analysis and visualization of trends.  
• Impala is an AI driven tool to explore and map relationships and networks in the nonprofits and philanthropic sector
• OSDG.AI is an open-source AI tool that helps users assign SDG labels to the content of uploaded reports or other text-based inputs to the platform.
• Salesforce embeds AI in its CRM and reporting features.
• ‍SBC Impact Designer is an open-source digital platform that integrates AI. The platform supports social and behavior change (SBC) interventions by providing guidance in the design, plan, management, and evaluation of an organization’s SBC program. This is developed by Amplio and the platform will be beta tested by the second half of 2023.
• Signpost Initiative. IRC´s humanitarian application provides accurate and timely information for people in crisis, using AI.
• Smart Simple uses AI to support drafting grant applications, translating applications and reports.
• Uli uses machine learning technology to hide abusive content, gender-based, and racial and ethnic slurs on Twitter.

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Want to keep track of the latest guides and frameworks?  Subscribe to our free MEL Library here or join our Responsible AI waitlist to be the first to learn on upcoming trainings and events.

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