1.
Gauging Long Term Impact
in the Social Sector

2.
1Gauging Longterm Impact in the Social Sector.pptx
To ensure the best results for the children in our programmes,
we need to measure our impact
Impact
Transparency
Quality
improvements
At SOS CV, we strive to
ensure the best results in
lives of child participants.
If we measure the effects of our
work, we will create transparency
of our performance.
This is a precondition ...
... to improve or maintain the quality
of our programmes. This ensures we
maximumise the effectiveness of our
work.
Source: Icons designed by www.flaticon.com

3.
2Gauging Longterm Impact in the Social Sector.pptx
Our work and the corresponding inputs have three different effects
over time
Input ImpactOutcomeOutput
All resources spent for
programme interventions
Immediate effects of
our programmes
Short-/medium-term
effects of our work
Long-term effects on both
children and communities
For example, the
children who have good
living conditions in their
SOS families
For example, the
financial and human
resources invested in
family-based care
For example, children in
SOS families have a
good educational
foundation by the time
they leave our care
For example, when living
as independent adults,
they can take care of
themselves and their
families

4.
3Gauging Longterm Impact in the Social Sector.pptx
Our work and the corresponding inputs have three different effects
over time
Input ImpactOutcomeOutput
All resources spent for
programme interventions
Immediate effects of
our programmes
Short-/medium-term
effects of our work
Long-term effects on both
children and communities
Impact Assessment focuses on long-term impact
and thereby helps us achieve the best results for
our children in our programmes
For example, when living
as independent adults,
they can take care of
themselves and their
families

5.
4Gauging Longterm Impact in the Social Sector.pptx
Now,
let's shift our
focus to Impact
and how we can
measure it

6.
5Gauging Longterm Impact in the Social Sector.pptx
We assess impact for our core work in
Family Strengthening (FS) and Family-Based Care (FBC)
Family Strenghtening Family Based Care

7.
6Gauging Longterm Impact in the Social Sector.pptx
We assess three components of impact, considering both non-
financial and financial impact of our programmes
Impact on individuals, the community and the society
Long-term
effects
on the
community
Long-term
effects
on individuals
and
their families
Long-term
effects on the
society
(Social return on
investment)

8.
7Gauging Longterm Impact in the Social Sector.pptx
Non-financial impact is measured primarily by interviewing stakeholders
Score
2 31 4
doing
well
not
doing
well
Former (and
optionally current)
participants are
interviewed and
answers are scored
whether they are
doing well or not
Impact on the
individual
Impact on the
community
Different
stakeholder groups
are interviewed,
e.g., local
authorities, other
NGOs/CBOs and
community leaders

9.
8Gauging Longterm Impact in the Social Sector.pptx
Protection & social
inclusion
Impact on the individual is measured along dimensions holistically covering key aspects
of well-being
Care
Physical
health
Food security
Accommodation
Education & skills
Livelihood
(economic security)
Social & emotional
well-being
Source: Icons designed by www.flaticon.com

10.
9Gauging Longterm Impact in the Social Sector.pptx
Complementary dimensions are considered to assess the impact of our work on the
communities that we support
Source: Icons designed by www.flaticon.com
Community awareness
Alternative care
Progress towards
sustainability
Next-
generation
benefits
Giving &
volunteering
Impact on community
via individual
Impact on community
via programmes
Community-based support systems

11.
10Gauging Longterm Impact in the Social Sector.pptx
For financial impact, we measure the
social return on investment
Social return on investment
(SROI)
The social return on investment (SROI)
measures how much benefit an
investment creates for society
How many dollars worth of benefit
for society are created
by my 1-dollar investment?

12.
11Gauging Longterm Impact in the Social Sector.pptx
Financial impact is assessed by comparing costs and benefits of a programme
:Benefits
The SROI quantifies the benefits
of a programme for the broader
community ...
Costs
... and compares it to the costs of
the programme
Non-quantifiable
elements are
excluded
Conservative
assumptions
are applied

13.
12Gauging Longterm Impact in the Social Sector.pptx
The approach has been successfully applied
We tested the approach in two well-established SOS CV programme
locations: Hawassa, Ethiopia, and Mbabane, Swaziland.
The approach worked well and is a good framework for future assessment.
We even learnt how to further improve the methodology.
While we were impressed by the impact we are having in these locations,
areas for development were identified to further improve our work.

14.
13Gauging Longterm Impact in the Social Sector.pptx
Targeting the most vulnerable children, who have limited prospects
for future success, the results confirm our impact
The pilot study provided insights of SOS having some very positive impact on the situation of the children
Between 70 and 95% of former participants reportedly
perform well in at least six of eight dimensions
Especially the scores in education and food were
exceptionally high
Local stakeholders highly value the work of SOS
CV staff in terms of
• being a key player in child protection
• strengthening networks
• building capacity and sharing knowledge
On an individual level On a community level

15.
14Gauging Longterm Impact in the Social Sector.pptx
In particular, nearly all participants of FBC perform well in at least 6-
out-of-8 dimensions — an indication of the ‘value added’ by our work
0 50 100
70%
All dimensions
75%
At least 7/8
dimensions
90%
At least 6/8
dimensions
95%
Individuals doing well in key dimensions (in %)
30%
30%
FBC (n = 20) FS (n = 10)
0 50 100
46%
58%
92%
84%
38%
42%
FS (n = 13)FBC (n = 19)
SwazilandEthiopia

16.
15Gauging Longterm Impact in the Social Sector.pptx
Every €1 invested returns at least €4 to €6, depending on location
SOS CV programmes Ethiopia
SROI of 4:1 SROI of 6:1
Swaziland
Potential for additional upside:
Conservative assumptions applied
Actual impact even higher:
Non-quantifiable elements excluded

17.
16Gauging Longterm Impact in the Social Sector.pptx
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you want to learn more about
our social impact assessment approach
Douglas
Reed
Germain
Houedenou
Douglas.Reed@sos-kd.org
Germain.Houedenou@sos-kd.org
Peter
Fechner
Fechner.Peter@bcg.com
Alexander
Baic
Baic.Alexander@bcg.com