Measuring what matters: Basics of SROI for NGOs

Do you struggle to demonstrate the real impact of your programmes beyond reporting activities and outputs?

Do donors or CSR partners ask for stronger evidence of the outcomes your organisation creates?

Are you unsure how to measure social value or communicate the long-term change your interventions bring about?

Have you heard of Social Return on Investment (SROI) but don't know where to begin?

As funders increasingly seek evidence of outcomes rather than just activities, NGOs need better ways to understand, measure, and communicate the value they create. While many organisations collect programme data, translating that information into meaningful impact stories and credible evidence can be challenging.

Social Return on Investment (SROI) is a practical framework that helps organisations assess the broader social value generated through their work. It enables nonprofits to move beyond counting outputs and begin demonstrating meaningful outcomes, strengthening impact reporting, donor communication, and fundraising efforts.

This introductory session will help participants understand the fundamentals of SROI, explore key concepts and terminology, and learn practical approaches to identifying, measuring, and communicating the outcomes of their interventions.

Key Takeaways

• Understand the fundamentals of SROI: Learn what Social Return on Investment is, why it matters, and how it differs from traditional impact reporting.

• Move beyond outputs: Understand the difference between activities, outputs, outcomes, and impact, and why outcomes are increasingly important to funders.

• Learn the language of SROI: Become familiar with key concepts such as financial proxies, attribution, deadweight, displacement, and drop-off.

• Measure meaningful change: Explore practical approaches to identifying and measuring the outcomes created through your programmes.

• Strengthen donor communication: Learn how SROI thinking can enhance impact reporting, improve stakeholder communication, and support fundraising efforts.

Who Should Attend

Founders, Executive Directors, Programme Managers, Monitoring & Evaluation Professionals, Fundraising Teams, Impact and Learning Leads, and nonprofit professionals responsible for measuring, communicating, or reporting organisational impact.

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