Our vision is a world where every organisation makes more decisions that are informed by their social impacts.
Social Value UK is the professional body for social value and impact management in the United Kingdom.
We provide training to organisations and individuals on how to measure social value and use the data to make informed, responsive decisions.
We do not prescribe one particular tool for measuring social value, but foster collaboration between organisations and a range of providers, with the priority being embedding our eight principles into practice.
Social Value UK assures reports and empowers organisations to create more sustainable futures.
We also use our expertise to lobby government and local authorities on behalf of our members to consider social value over traditional, financial means of assessing a contract’s worth.
Our membership voice is strengthened by being a national network of Social Value International, which sets the standards we work to.
As distinguished 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.
What is Social Value?
Social Value is a broader understanding of value. It moves beyond using money as the main indicator of value, instead putting the emphasis on engaging people to understand the impact of decisions on their lives. The people’s perspective is critical.
Organisations will always create good and bad experiences, but on balance should aim to create a net positive impact in the present and for a sustainable future. They should measure their impacts and use this understanding to make better decisions for people.
Who we are
Social Value UK was established in 2007 as a membership organisation, then known as the Social Return on Investment (SROI) Network.
It represented a group of individuals who advocated for a way of measuring the impact of decisions beyond the balance sheet – pioneered by our experts.
Our membership is still at the core of who we are, and we are shaped by a community of experts and practitioners. We also welcome new members, including our growing Organisational Membership, who not only contribute to this community, but can use the acquired knowledge to make more decisions informed by their social impacts.
What our members are saying
“Being a member of Social Value UK has been a valuable source of support and guidance on our social value journey, and through the networks, newsletters and events helps me to keep on top of the latest developments in this exciting and rapidly developing space.”
“Being a member of SVUK connects me to a network of like-minded professionals all working toward the same agenda – doing more good and changing the world for the better – and this is very empowering! There are no two ways about it, this is the place to be during these times of change.”
Individual
Organisation
Partners
Individual Membership
Individual Members are an integral part of our community — as experts, practitioners and advocates. The Individual Membership is designed to support those wishing to, or already working, as social value professionals.
As an Individual Member you can expect to be guided through training, accreditation, and more, to help you in your career. Also of particular use to our Individual Members is the joint membership to Social Value International, the standard setters for practice across the globe and who offer regular opportunities for members to convene and contribute to the conversation.
Organisational Membership
The need and desire to measure social value is growing and with it, our membership.
Organisations at all levels want to better understand, manage and be responsive to the impact they have on people and planet.
A strong social value ethos or framework has become essential for those competing for public sector contracts, but more and more companies are coming alive to the benefits around staff wellbeing and productivity that social value management can bring.
Organisations benefit from all the Individual benefits as well as a suite of additional benefits.
Partner Membership
Social Value Partners are organisations who have made strides in social value, either core to it’s mission or through their business activities and accounting. They are organisations ready to collaborate with us, to share skills and assets to lead the movement forward. We might, for example, co-design training, deliver workshops, host events together, campaign for progress, and work towards our vision; a world where every organisation makes more decisions that are informed by their social impacts.
A Social Value Partner Membership is defined by the work we do together and prices are determined as per Organisational Membership, or based on the nature of the collaboration. If you are interested in joining as a Social Value Partner Member and helping us achieve our mission to change the way the world accounts for value contact us.
Upcoming Events
Social Value UK hosts a collection of events throughout the year. Particularly popular is our Introduction to Social Value UK, which is free for anyone to book. We also host a series of member-only events as well as publicly available conferences or webinars, to meet the curiosity of anyone, no matter what point of their Social Value Journey they’re on. Click below to book upcoming live events, or view past events in the Resources Library or Blog section.
Introduction to Social Value UK Tues 3rd October 2023
Social Value Strategic Workshop 23 October 2023
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