Reports Database:
Investing for Social Value

“In this report nef (the new economics foundation) presents the findings from SROI analyses of seven voluntary-sector projects across England, from Northumberland to Bristol. All seven have received support from Adventure Capital Fund (ACF), an investment fund that is keen to explore new ways of measuring and improving the value of its investments.

The projects evaluated include a social enterprise that composts green waste; a community childcare service; an organisation providing inner-city workspaces and training; a trust set up to regenerate a former mining town; and a charity that provides barrier-free workplaces for individuals with disabilities. nef has examined these initiatives both to quantify their social value and to test the potential use of SROI analysis by other third sector organisations and social investors.

Overall, the participating organisations found the experience of SROI evaluation to be a positive one. The process enabled them to identify areas where they were performing well, to highlight where improvement was needed and to communicate their impact powerfully to funders and other stakeholders.

A number of obstacles also came to light – notably the difficulty in understanding and establishing new concepts and evaluation processes and freeing up capacity to undertake the SROI.”

 

 

 

 

 

Author: NEF

Date: 11.13.2013