In our last blog, we looked at how you can get everyone in your organisation to embrace social value and see it as something special that energises the team and gives them a way to support the causes that matter to them personally, as well as the organisation and industry they work in.
In this blog, the third instalment of our blog series on social value, we look at how you can measure this real, genuine social impact.
But what does genuine social value look like? And how can organisations, large and small, make their impact not only real but measurable?
Start local
To create meaningful social value, we would suggest carrying out community engagement activities closer to home to begin with.
Look at aligning your social value activities with regional strategies and community plans. How can you support? And how can you make a difference? Do any causes, fundraisers or community activities align with your values as an organisation, such as tree planting to demonstrate your commitment to sustainability and carbon reduction? Or, could you look at only using local suppliers to plough money back into your local economy?
By supporting local community groups and charities that have a close connection to your team, you could also benefit from a more engaged and motivated staff who feel supported and listened to as well.
Think about the types of contracts you want to tender for too – what social value would they like to see? In an NHS tender, for example, social value marks can be earned by demonstrating contributions to economic, social and environmental wellbeing. Could you take part in a local employability scheme that helps people find work?
To truly understand the people and places you’re working with in your local community, you could:
- Research local demographics, deprivation data, and health inequalities
- Engage with local stakeholders and VCSEs – Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprises – that work to improve communities and address social issues and ascertain their priorities
- Investigate any regional strategies and community plans announced by your local authority. Could these that inform your social value activities?
Proving social value
Once you are consistently participating in social value activities, you then have to measure it effectively to be able to demonstrate the impact in tender bids.
This is exactly why we developed Balloon, our Social Value Manager platform. Our bid writing experts worked closely with social value specialists to create a platform that meets local and central commissioner requirements. The platform has been designed to craft, monitor, measure, track, and improve social value propositions easily and intuitively.
It also supports frameworks like the National TOMs Framework for Social Value Management and the Social Value Model, making it easier for organisations to:
- Log social value activities
- Monitor delivery over time
- Report visually on outcomes
- Demonstrate compliance and credibility
Crucially, Balloon levels the playing field for SMEs that may not have the time, systems, or teams that larger firms can call upon to pull this evidence together. Many smaller businesses already do brilliant community work, but Balloon helps them prove it clearly and consistently.
Be genuine, accountable and transparent
Credibility lies in what you do, not just what you say, when it comes to social value. Overclaiming and underdelivering erodes trust. Instead:
- Make clear, realistic commitments
- Quantify expected outcomes (e.g. ‘three apprenticeships by Q3’ as opposed to ‘some training’)
- Use robust reporting to show what’s been achieved
Social Value should be demonstrable and defensible. If challenged, you should be able to point to the proof, not just the promise.
For more detailed information or to explore how Balloon can be tailored to your specific needs, go to https://klowconsulting.com/balloon-social-value-manager/. To talk to a member of our team about demonstrating social value in your next bid, call 0330 133 8823 or email info@klowconsulting.com