Impact first, but how do you measure it?

Social entrepreneurs first and foremost have a social mission; they want to solve a social problem before anything else. Impact first! But how do they know whether their approach is successful, and whether they may need to adjust it. And what they can already communicate about their results? For this, measuring social impact is crucial. Social Enterprise NL stimulates the development of available tools for entrepreneurs. So that it becomes easier, cheaper, and better understood by the outside world.

Creating social value

Every social enterprise's mission is to create social value. Fundamentally different from ordinary companies, this goal is at the heart of its business strategy. It is first and foremost its own responsibility to verify that it is actually creating this added value. And to also make it available to its stakeholders. Does the social enterprise actually contribute to solving the social problem it has made central?

Measuring impact better

Defining and measuring impact is still a very young field. For many social enterprises, it is currently still too expensive and complex to reliably measure impact with regularity. Social Enterprise NL's focus is to make this easier and more accessible, and to stimulate research on impact. With two publications (see bottom of this page), it helps social entrepreneurs get started. We also offer The Impact Path to that helps the entrepreneur get started, and we have worked with Avance Impact developed a new growth program: Expedition Impact.

The Impact Path: a practical guide

The Impact Path is a public, online guide that helps entrepreneurs measure impact. It provides practical support in taking the right step(s). The manual consists of an overview of the most relevant indicators for three social themes. The Impactpad also describes which instruments are useful for carrying out measurements. Other parties involved, such as municipalities and impact investors, can also use the manual. Social Enterprise NL developed The Impactpad together with Avance Impact and Impact Centre Erasmus.

Expedition Impact: from beautiful impact ambitions to concrete results

In Expedition Impact you grow from great ambitions to concrete results. In this customized six-month program, you will work on measuring your impact. You will be offered theories and models that you can immediately put into practice by setting up your own impact measurement and collecting data. You will also exchange experiences with fellow social entrepreneurs. In the grand finale you will share the results of your impact research with your own stakeholders and a wider audience.

Read our publications on impact measurement: