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.