Download - YouthNet SROI Presentation
Social Return on Investment: a new impact model
2nd April 2009
Today’s presentations:
1. askTheSite – introducing the serviceClaire Easterman, Operations Director
2. Theory of Social Return on Investment Andrew Wilson, Corporate Citizenship
3. Applying Social Return on Investment to askTheSite Sarah McCoy, Research Manager
4. Speaker Panel Question & Answer With Martyn Lewis
Using technology to effectively reach young people
Dominic Waghorn, Digital Interactive Services Director
askTheSite - because there’s no such thing as a stupid questionClaire Easterman, Operations Director
“I've had a big family loss recently.
I just need some advice. Please???”
and I want the pain to go.
I just want him back
and I can’t stop crying.
My dad died, it’s really hit me,
Jenny, 22, askTheSite question
• 7.1 million 16-24 year olds in the UK (Labour Force survey 2005)
• Eight out of ten 16-24 year-olds regularly use the internet (ONS,2006)
• 16-24 year-olds turn to the internet for advice because it’s quick, anonymous, and available at any time (Brainjuicer 2007)
The facts:
Young people in the UK:
Each day 52 attempt suicide(MIND website)
1.2 million are not currently in any education, employment or training (Princes Trust)
4 in 10 have used illegal drugs (British Crime Survey)
3) Receive a text confirming their answer is ready. It can be retrieved from a secure area of TheSite.org
2) askTheSite sources an answer from one or more of its expert partners
1) Visit TheSite.org and ask a question
How askTheSite works
askTheSite: answering the personal questions and concerns of young
people4) With permission, the answer is published in an archive for everyone to access
“I am very impressed with the clarity of the
site”
“Being not very computer literate I think the site is
amazing and helpful and I am sure I will need it again in the future”
“i just seemed to come across it, but
thank god i did find it, u gave really good
advice, its like having a second best mate”
“It stopped me spending a lot of
money by not knowing the
situation”
“The site is very easy to use & the
received information very
much appreciated”
800 questions every month
“It was amazing! It was so easy to understand! And the best thing was
that it was so much better hearing advice
instead of hearing it from people involved in my
life. It was fantastic seeing it from a different
point of view.”
“The advice I received has saved my life. I felt like I didn’t want to live anymore, now I know
there is light at the end of the tunnel. Thank
you so much”
“I just want to say thank you from the bottom of
my heart for your fantastic, professional and courteous reply. It has really helped me.”
“Thanks - very reassuring
advice that made me feel a lot
calmer.”
“What a fantastic site
this is”
What value does askTheSite provide to society?
The challenge of impact and measurement:
What is the long term impact of the advice and support?
Service is confidential and anonymous
Difficult to capture data from those in distress
An introduction to SROI
YouthNet Breakfast Seminar
2 April 2009
Andrew Wilson, Corporate Citizenship
11Social return on investment
The presentation
This presentation draws on a research inquiry undertaken by
Corporate Citizenship, funded by the Vodafone Foundation,
with extensive input from a reference group of charities
The aim is to provide a short, simple introduction to the key
principles of social return on investment (SROI) and to explore
the issues it can help address
12Social return on investment
What is SROI?
YouthNet calculated that every £1 invested in askTheSite created a positive social impact of £7.38
Thames Valley Partnership calculated that for every £1 invested in an Urban Dance project to engage pupils as risk of exclusion from school, there was a social return on investment of £3.94
Social Return on Investment enables monetary values to be assigned to the social benefits of specific projects, expressed in relation to the projects’ costs. For example:
13Social return on investment
Why do SROI?
It can be used to help attract attention and resources from potential
supporters, including government
It encourages an organisation to involve stakeholders in evaluating
impacts
It can provide data on which to make more informed choices about future
investments and activities
It can help spread best practice across organisations if charities are
willing to benchmark themselves against others
While many charities are able to communicate the benefits of their work, SROI can
provide a powerful tool for expressing their wider societal value in concrete,
monetary terms
14Social return on investment
SROI – The process
INPUTS OUTPUTS OUTCOMES IMPACTSMONETARY
VALUES SROI
PLANNING
REPORTING
15Social return on investment
SROI – Step 1
INPUTS OUTPUTS OUTCOMES IMPACTSMONETARY
VALUES SROI
The costs of resources invested in the project
Inputs
Staff time
Overheads
Purchase of equipment
16Social return on investment
SROI – Step 2
INPUTS OUTPUTS OUTCOMES IMPACTSMONETARY
VALUES SROI
The direct benefits resulting from the work of the charity
Outputs
Number of people trained
Number of people vaccinated
Number of children mentored
17Social return on investment
SROI – Step 3
INPUTS OUTPUTS OUTCOMES IMPACTSMONETARY
VALUES SROI
The changes that result from the outputs
Outputs
Number of people trained
Number of people vaccinated
Number of children mentored
Outcomes
Number of people getting a job
Percentage reduction in mortality rates
Level of improvement in GSCE grades
18Social return on investment
SROI – Step 4
INPUTS OUTPUTS OUTCOMES IMPACTSMONETARY
VALUES SROI
The additional benefit provided by a charity’s work – the outcomes less an
estimate of deadweight and attribution
Outcomes
Number of people getting a job
Percentage reduction in mortality
Level of improvement in GSCE grades
Impact (minus deadweight & attribution)
How many people would have found work anyway?
What other measures have helped to reduced mortality?
How many mentored children would have gained those results anyway?
19Social return on investment
SROI – Step 5
INPUTS OUTPUTS OUTCOMES IMPACTSMONETARY
VALUES SROI
Assigning a monetary value to the impacts identified
Impacts (minus deadweight & attribution)
Number of people getting a job
Percentage reduction in mortality
Level of improvement in GSCE grades
Monetary value
Social security benefit saved
Cost of health expenditure saved
Increased earnings compared to school leavers with fewer qualifications
20Social return on investment
SROI – Step 6
INPUTS OUTPUTS OUTCOMES IMPACTSMONETARY
VALUES SROI
Dividing the impact measures by the costs involved give the social return on the investment figure
21Social return on investment
What is needed to calculate SROI?
The data check list Data on the costs of inputs (e.g. staff wages, goods and services
purchased, premises, etc)
Data – or the ability to get data – on the number of outputs (e.g. training
courses completed, phone calls to advice lines, etc)
Data – or the ability to get data – on the number of successful outcomes
(people getting a job, obtaining housing, giving up an addiction, etc)
Data – or an informed assumption – on what would have happened in
the absence of the charity’s intervention
Information on the social value of the charity’s impacts (e.g. costs of
crime, truancy, health problems etc)
22Social return on investment
Strengths and weaknesses
Strengths
Helps communicate with funders
It provides a broader measure of
the services delivered
Encourages stakeholder
engagement in the evaluation
process
The model is a good benchmark
allowing organisations to compare
different ways of delivering
services
Weaknesses
Do funders understand SROI?
Not all projects are amenable to
SROI
Resource / capacity implications
Monitor the time spent on data
collection – don’t let the search for
the perfect metric get in the way of
a robust SROI
For further information
Corporate Citizenship - www.corporate-citizenship.com
Office of The Third Sector - www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/third_sector/news/news_stories/081120_sroi.aspx
The SROI Network - www.sroi-uk.org
European SROI Network - www.sroi-europe.org
Using technology to effectively reach young people
Dominic Waghorn, Digital Interactive Services Director
Applying Social Return on Investment to askTheSiteSarah McCoy, Research Manager
YouthNet’s objectives:
• Understand more about using SROI technique; the challenges and opportunities
• Explore the effectiveness of the askTheSite service
• Investigate how results can help attract further funding
• Develop toolkit that can be used on other areas of our work
Inputs: Costs associated with askTheSite:
• Overall cost of service
• This includes:
- YouthNet staff time
- Funding askTheSite partners
- Overheads (e.g. rent/office costs)
- Volunteers (training & working hours)
£221,714.40 for
six months
Outputs from askTheSite:
We can gather outputs over specific time period:
Monetarising outcomes:
Online Resources
askTheSite reporting tool
Identifying outcomes:
• Quantitative and qualitative research
• Analysis of question bank
Outcome Example of information which may lead to outcome
Reduced likelihood of teenage pregnancy Signposting to local GPs or Family Planning Clinics supplying the contraceptive pill
Increased self esteem Reassurance and empathy
Prevention of homelessness Information about tenancy rights
Prevention of STI contraction Signposting to local GUM clinic
Better exam results Revision techniques
Improved financial circumstances Explanation of financial terms
Reduced likelihood of mental health problems due to stress
Stress management skills
Example case studies:
General topic Case study Costs to society Benefits to society
Sexual health Pregnancy – Abortion - Cost of abortion - Saved cost of ante-natal medical care
- Saved cost of post-natal medical care
- Saved pregnancy and childcare benefits
Mental health Self harm - Cost of GP visit- Cost of medication
and counselling
- Saved cost to the NHS of treating self-harm injuries
Relationships Family problems - Cost of call to Youth2Youth or other
similar helpline
- Saved cost of rent- Saved cost of treating mental health
problems- Saved income support benefits
Drugs and alcohol
Health implications: Alcohol
- Cost of visit to the doctor
-Saved cost of alcohol rehabilitation- Saved costs of treating major health problems that may have developed
Benefits – Costs = NET benefits to society
Sexual health case study:
• David has a sexually transmitted infection (STI)
• David asks a question on askTheSite about his STI and receives a personal answer
• This information directs David to a GUM clinic where he gets the treatment he needs
• The cost to society for David to visit a GUM clinic to get treatment is £438.24
The total cost to society is £438.24
Sexual health case study:
Sexual health case study:
• David has an STI but does not ‘askTheSite’ or access the information and treatment
• Assumption that David passes his STI on to three people
• Cost treating the three people that David infects is £1,314.72 (3 x £438.24)
• The net benefit to society is the difference between cost of treatment these three people and the cost of treating David
NET benefit to society = £876.48(i.e. £1,314.72 - £438.24)
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Sexual health case study:
Monetarised case studies:
Case study NET benefit to society
Sexual health £3,372.96
Mental health £4,529.82
Money £21,792.38
Relationships £8,848.07
Housing £3,167.81
Drugs and Alcohol £1,537.20
General health £818.50
Legal and rights £10,258.82
Putting it all together:
Total savings per question:
SROI evaluation:Value
Number of (within remit) questions answered between 1st July and 31st December 2007
2,870
Proportion of questions leading to positive outcome for young person
74%
Number or questions during period leading to positive outcome for young person
2,124
Benefit per question (assuming 100% attribution, 0% deadweight)
£6,696.26
Total benefit for period (assuming 100% attribution, 0% deadweight)
£14,222,856.24
Attribution 23%
Deadweight 50%
Total benefit £1,635,628.47
Total input £221,714
Overall, for every £1 invested in askTheSite, YouthNet created a social impact of £7.38
• Based on big assumptions so transparency is key
• Way of demonstrating the value of askTheSite in a language supporters understand
• Model has flexibility so can be adapted to other YouthNet services
Summary
Questions for the panel
Thank you