Valuing What Matters: Using Social Return on Investment Analysis to Bring New Perspectives to the Table

Abstract Information: Social return on investment (SROI) analysis is premised on the idea that meaningful program outcomes are best identified by those who experience them. Two of the underlying principles of SROI in particular–-Involve Stakeholders and Value What Matters—explicitly center the perspectives of those who are most affected by a program or activity. In doing so, SROI shifts power away from traditional notions about whose experiences matter and which outcomes should be measured and managed. Since incorporating SROI into our organization’s analytical toolkit, we have been pushed to include a broader array of voices and experiences in the stories of change that we tell. A recent SROI analysis of a rental assistance program, for example, included not just the traditional focus on eviction prevention, but also an account of the mental health impacts experienced by caseworkers administering the program, and a measure of the improved quality of parent-child interaction among program beneficiaries. Another SROI analysis of a small agricultural enterprise unexpectedly led us to contemplate not just the financial impact of the organization’s activities, but also the effect of certain agricultural practices on bovine wellbeing. In addition to keeping us on our toes, this incorporation of SROI into our work has allowed us to place the outcomes that are important to stakeholders on equal footing with other more traditional outcomes, even when stakeholder priorities are not associated with a fixed market value. This session will begin with an explanation of SROI's approach to stakeholder involvement and its emphasis on understanding stakeholder priorities. Then, using examples from several recently completed SROI analyses, we will discuss the ways that SROI can bring the voices of previously underrepresented stakeholders into discussions about a program’s value. Participants will leave the session with a clear understanding of the processes of stakeholder identification, stakeholder-led outcomes articulation, and key principles underlying SROI.