Measuring Social Impact

Organizations working across the third sector are facing increasing demand from investors and stakeholders to demonstrate how their work is leading to positive social change. This textbook offers a complete guide to emerging forms of social impact measurement, drawing on both theory and practical real-world examples. It covers:



- an historical overview of the contributions by different disciplines to SIM, including organizational theory, sociology, social work, education and public policy


- drivers for SIM; funder and investor requests; accountability and transparency; and strategic management


- impact mapping and stakeholder engagement, at the individual level, programme or intervention level, organizational level and locality/regional level


- design and implementation: proxy data; indicator banks; SPSS; qualitative and quantitative data; and blended value; methods for data collection, including how to conduct interviews, surveys and focus groups


- learning from findings: the benefits and drawbacks to different forms of reporting, from 'greenwashing' to social reporting.