ERIC Number: EJ1351086
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022-Sep
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1098-2140
EISSN: EISSN-1557-0878
The Tentative Promise of Social Return on Investment
American Journal of Evaluation, v43 n3 p438-457 Sep 2022
Social return on investment (SROI), an evaluation method that compares monetized social value generated to costs invested, is in ascendance. Conceptually akin to cost-benefit analysis, it shares some of its challenges; however, these are heightened due to the expressed promise of using SROI to compare programs and inform philanthropic and public investment decisions. In this paper, I describe the landscape of SROI studies to date, including a review of a representative sample of SROI evaluations, which have been vetted by Social Value International. I also draw on the experience of an organization that has used SROI in earnest as a decision-making tool to provide an assessment of both the methods that underpin it and the ways in which it is applied. I conclude by offering some recommendations to consider to get the most value from this evaluation method while avoiding some potential pitfalls.
Descriptors: Evaluation Methods, Cost Effectiveness, Decision Making, Entrepreneurship, Philanthropic Foundations, Private Financial Support, Investment, Donors, Program Evaluation
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2993
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A