Social Return on Investment

There are many things which we value, as societies and individuals, which cannot be easily captured in economic terms. And yet, most decision making in the private, public and third sectors are based solely on costs and price.

Social Return on Investment (SROI) is an analytic tool for measuring and accounting for a much broader concept of value. It incorporates social, environmental and economic costs and benefits into decision making, providing a fuller picture of how value is created or destroyed.

SROI is able to assign a monetary figure to social and environmental value which is created. For example, nef research on the value created by a training programme for ex-offenders revealed that for every £1 invested, £10.50 of social value was created.

By bringing social and environmental value into decision making, SROI seeks to:

• Reduce inequality
• Prevent environmental degradation
• Improve well-being

Want to use SROI to measure the wider impacts of your organisation?
nef consulting is the leading provider of a wide range of SROI support services, including full evaluations, training, practitioner support and external verification. Visit the nef consulting website for more information.

If you have applied for the NIACE "Adult and Community Learning Fund" grant, we'd like to hear from you. Please contact Natalie Nicholles at nef consulting: natalie.nicholles@nef-consulting.co.uk or 0207 820 6364