…of value. A recurring theme at the recent Skoll forum was that, in order for funders from the more corporate philanthropy / (forward-thinking) asset management to invest, they need to see clear evidence, and understandable data, of value. Ultimately, the thinking is that we should judge social entrepreneur-led organisations by their quality (by their outcomes) rather than their business structure or model (their process).

Their follows an interesting debate about whether we can translate the terminology of the business world into the world of social entrepreneurship: so rather than financial return on investment, there is social return on investment; rather than profit-led organisations, there are non-profits, not-for-profits or, increasingly, ‘beyond profit’ or ‘more-than-profit’ organisations.

The value debate is of interest to SSE because our students, who range from 18 to 80 and are leading a whole range of different organisations with different aims in different areas, are increasingly realising the need to effectively measure and evaluate their work. Do these kinds of models have relevance for them, or do they overcomplicate and confuse? Similarly, for ourselves, how can we best measure what SSE contributes to helping individuals make social change.

Some interesting places to start in this world:

– Blended Value
– New Economics Foundation (SROI)
– Roberts Enterprise Development Fund
– Charities Evaluation Service

This is something we’ll revisit, as it is an area of increasing relevance to social entrepreneurs, cutting across sectors and, therefore, coming up against different sectors rules and demands.