Auditing Impact Reports
Similar to a financial audit, an impact audit uses a third party to verify a company’s reported performance against its agreed-upon impact metrics. This sample language assumes that impact metrics and reporting requirements are defined elsewhere in the term sheet.
Mandatory audit
Sample language: [As long as the Investors hold at least X percent of the Shares purchased] OR [During the term of the Loan], each Impact Report described in the preceding paragraph shall be audited by a third party organization with relevant expertise, [selected by the Investors and reasonably acceptable to the Company] OR [agreed upon by the Investors and the Company]. Costs of the audit shall be borne by the Company. If mutually agreed, the findings of the audit may be publicized by the Investors and the Company.
Optional audit language
Sample language: [As long as the Investors hold at least X percent of the Shares purchased] OR [During the term of the Loan], the Investors may require that the Impact Report described in the preceding paragraph be audited by a third party organization with relevant expertise, [selected by the Investors and reasonably acceptable to the Company] OR [agreed upon by the Investors and the Company]. If an audit is requested more frequently than once every [three] years, then the investors shall pay for the audit, unless the audit reveals substantial reporting errors. If mutually agreed, the findings of the audit may be publicized by the Investors and the Company.