Our vision is a world where every organisation makes more decisions that are informed by their social impacts
Social Value UK promotes the measurement of social impacts and using those results to guide decisions. A decision for today should not compromise tomorrow.
We have chosen to focus on the social impacts of organisations because they are the vehicles through which most of the changes we experience are triggered.
Social Value UK is the professional body for social value and impact management
Social Value UK empowers organisations to be responsive. We help them make timely decisions that are informed by evidence. We help them measure social value, provide training, assure their reports and issue guidance on how to act.
We also use our expertise to lobby government and local authorities to consider social value over traditional, financial means of assessing a contract’s worth.
As a distinguished body of social value experts, we prioritise outcomes – the effects experienced by society – over tick box exercises that focus on outputs. These can be manipulated and miss key data.
It is fundamental to Social Value UK’s approach (Principle 1) that all stakeholders – customers/services users, employees and the wider community – are involved in any measurement of social value.
We provide a strong advocacy voice to push the social value agenda on a national and – with our partner Social Value International – global stage. Social Value UK advocates for sustainable decision-making. We want to ensure that decisions for today should not compromise tomorrow.
Our History
Social Value UK was established in 2007 as a membership organisation, then known as the SROI Network.
It represented a group of individuals who advocated for the Social Return on Investment framework – a way of measuring the impact of decisions beyond the balance sheet, pioneered by our experts.
The ambition was to ignite change across the world by training more people to account for social value.
The SROI Network merged with SIAA (Social Impact Analysts Association) and developed into two connected, but distinct organisations – Social Value UK and Social Value International.
The latter advocates for social value on a global stage and provides an umbrella for a growing number of other national and regional networks and groups to establish their own social value body. It also works with influential organisations such as the UNDP, IRFS, IMP, GIIN, IFVS, ISO and many more.
At inception, Social Value UK focused on training and accrediting individuals, but has since welcomed organisational members.
This is part of an expanded vision to directly advocate for social value to be considered during decision-making, rather than just accounted for.
Social Value UK (SVUK) are a Joint Member Network of Social Value International (SVI) and so all SVUK Members are members of SVI. SVUK deliver assurance and accreditation services on behalf of SVI, in the UK.
SVI brings together practitioners, organisations and changemakers from around the world with a shared mission to change the way the world accounts for value. As a global standard setter, they work with other institutions such as the UNDP, OECD, and the Impact Management Platform, to ensure that social value measurement and management creates a positive impact. For all.
SVI, along with their joint member networks and contributors, set the standards for the Principles of Social Value, watch to hear about Principle Eight, Be Responsive.
Principles
Our principles will lead to the inclusion of social, environmental and economic value in decision making.
People
We will build and support a network of like-minded individuals who want to work together to put these principles into practice.
Practice
We will develop guidance, tools, and support to help put the principles into practice.
Power
By connecting these individuals and supporting their learning, growth and influence we will build a movement to change the way society accounts for value.