YouthNet SROI Presentation

Social Return on Investment: a new impact model 2 nd April 2009

Today’s presentations: 1. askTheSite – introducing the service Claire 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 question Claire 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 people 4) 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

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

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:

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

SROI – The process REPORTING INPUTS OUTPUTS OUTCOMES IMPACTS MONETARY VALUES SROI PLANNING

SROI – Step 1 The costs of resources invested in the project Inputs Staff time Overheads Purchase of equipment INPUTS OUTPUTS OUTCOMES IMPACTS MONETARY VALUES SROI

SROI – Step 2 The direct benefits resulting from the work of the charity Outputs Number of people trained Number of people vaccinated Number of children mentored INPUTS OUTPUTS OUTCOMES IMPACTS MONETARY VALUES SROI

SROI – Step 3 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 INPUTS OUTPUTS OUTCOMES IMPACTS MONETARY VALUES SROI

SROI – Step 4 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? INPUTS OUTPUTS OUTCOMES IMPACTS MONETARY VALUES SROI

SROI – Step 5 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 INPUTS OUTPUTS OUTCOMES IMPACTS MONETARY VALUES SROI

SROI – Step 6 Dividing the impact measures by the costs involved give the social return on the investment figure INPUTS OUTPUTS OUTCOMES IMPACTS MONETARY VALUES SROI

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)

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 askTheSite Sarah 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: Benefits – Costs = NET benefits to society 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

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

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)

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: Overall, for every £1 invested in askTheSite, YouthNet created a social impact of £7.38 Value Number of (within remit) questions answered between 1 st July and 31 st 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

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

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YouthNet SROI Presentation

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YouthNet SROI Presentation — Presentation Transcript