Social Value Mapping: Reporting Social Impact Credibly
Social value mapping connects activities to the value they create via input, output, and outcome, using qualitative and quantitative data and valuation methods where available, so social impact claims can be substantiated with the same rigour typically applied to financial reporting. A handful of compelling stories, however genuine, don't demonstrate systematic impact the way a structured input-output-outcome mapping with defensible valuation methods can, and credible reporting increasingly needs to withstand exactly the scrutiny anecdotal evidence alone can't survive.
Why anecdotal reporting is losing credibility
A single moving customer or community story used to be sufficient evidence of social impact in a sustainability report. Increasingly sophisticated stakeholders and regulators now expect to see the systematic picture behind the story, how representative is it, and what's the actual scale of the effect being described.
What input, output, and outcome actually mean in this context
Input: resources committed (funding, hours, materials). Output: the direct, immediate result (people trained, products distributed). Outcome: the actual change that resulted (employment gained, health improved), outcome is the hardest to measure and the most meaningful, and often the one companies skip.
Why most of the actual social impact isn't in the philanthropy line
Employment practices, supply chain choices, and core product decisions typically generate far more social impact, positive or negative, than a company's charitable giving, yet philanthropy is what most social impact reporting focuses on almost exclusively. A proper mapping captures the core business too.
Organisations Are Often Providing a Lot More Social Value Than They Are Aware Of
We provide a transparent analysis of your organisation's existing social value contributions, helping you to understand, strengthen, and maximise the impact you create. We map your key stakeholders, identify and quantify your current social value generating activities, and uncover opportunities to create greater impact in line with your organisation's values and priorities. From there, we develop a tailored plan that helps you to deliver meaningful social value, measure it, and demonstrate the positive impact of your organisation.