Is it possible to measure social impact?

While many organisations are looking beyond a financial return and are seeking to create social good, measuring the social impact of any endeavour is challenging. Over the past decade, interest has been increasing in methods of measuring social impact, with Social Return on Investment (SROI) emerging as an approach to meet these demands. SROI is a form of stakeholder-driven evaluation blended with cost-benefit analysis tailored to social purposes.

This forum is your chance to find out more about social impact measurement, including SROI, and how it can apply to a range of programs and organisations.

Social Impact Measurement Network Australia (SIMNA) is a new national network of practitioners and supporters seeking to grow the practice of social impact measurement in Australia. Chapters have been established in Sydney and Melbourne, and this will be the first meeting of a chapter in Canberra.

Speaker: Jeremy Nicholls, Chair, Social Impacts Analysts Association & Chief Executive SROI Network

Jeremy Nicholls is one of the leaders of social impact measurement internationally.

Jeremy became the chief executive of the Social Return on Investment (SROI) Network in 2008. Starting his working life as an accountant, his work has increasingly focused on understanding and managing the value of the impact of an organisation’s activities. He set up the Cat’s Pyjamas running events to promote the value of social enterprise and shortly after started working on the development of SROI. He wrote ’There is no business like Social Business’ with Liam Black and co-wrote the UK Government supported ‘Guide to SROI’. He is the chair of FairPensions, a director of the FRC Group – a social business based in Liverpool and a director of Social Evaluator – an online platform for the analysis of social returns. As an occasional lecturer, he has lectured at several Universities including Said Business School at Oxford University, Cambridge University and the University of Western Australia.

Date:           15 February 2013
Time:          11.00 am to 12.00 noon
Address:   Marymead,255 Goyder St Narrabundah