Measuring employee volunteering and assessing its impact

Reana RossouwNext Generation Consultants

The challenge:

HOW DO WE MEASURE AND PROVE THE VALUE (IMPACT

AND RETURN) OF EPV?

Current practice:

• Quantitative data mostly:• Number of employees• Number of beneficiaries• Value of activity & contribution • Value of time/hours or products and services

• Challenge is how to measure past quantitative inputs, activities, outputs and outcomes to consider qualitative impact and return

Solution: Impact Investment Index• Developed over four years• Assessed the impact and return of R1 billion investment, 400

programs over 15 dimensions of impact and 20 dimensions of return, and in the process built a library of more than 500 indicators for more than 10 focus areas

• The secret?• Identify all stakeholders – impacted / benefitted by the program• Identify all impact – per stakeholder group – qualitative and quantitative• Count the impact (on the stakeholders and return for the donor)• Record data and analyse the data

• The result and outcome?• Able to Define - quantify and qualify the difference a donor

and its partners (volunteers) has made

The process:

Shared Value Impact and Return

Community Impact

Business Return

Stakeholders

Learners

Teachers

Parents

Intermediaries

Partners - other donors

Government - local, national, provincial

Impact and ReturnQualitative Impact

• Increased health and productivity

• Decline in infant mortality

• Increased access to health care

• Increased access to government services

Quantitative Impact

• Number of learners, teachers

• Passrates• Jobs - full time,

learnerships• Bursaries• University Access

Return

• Increased profit, customers, brand awareness

• Mitigate operational risk and protect licence to operate

• Increased stakeholder relations and access to government tenders

Dimensions

• Economic, environmental, social

• Short, medium, long term

• Direct, indirect, postive, negative, intended, unintended

Qualitative: Impact on communities•Increased of awareness of organisation and Increased opportunity for marketing and public relations

•Increased opportunity to recruit volunteers and Increased access to funds and resources•Leverage of existing funds and resources and Assess to new partnerships and donors•Increasing efficiency: helping a non-profit to use fewer resources – such as man hours or materials – in performing its operations or delivering its services

•Increasing effectiveness: helping a non-profit increase the success rate of the services it provides (e.g., for a non-profit fighting homelessness, the percentage of homeless people served that ended up sustainably housed)

•Increasing reach: helping a non-profit to serve more beneficiaries

Intermediaries

•Access to products and services•Increased quality of life•Increased sense of community•Increased opportunity for skills and jobs•Decreased dependence on government

Direct Beneficiaries

•Contribution to social cohesion, nation building, empowerment•Promotes civil engagement and communication•Contributes to safer communities, stronger communities, and neighbourhoods•Increases knowledge and awareness of social issues•Create a community of volunteers – increased awareness of social issues •Increases number of volunteers•Strengthening of social fabric of society•Support, extent and leverage government services and resources•Encourages citizens to become more active and proactive•Delivering public goods and services

Indirect Beneficiaries

Civil Society, Government, other donors, partners,

volunteers

Qualitative: Return for Business

Business Return - Collective - Qualitative

Changed perceptions, enhanced reputation and awareness

Increased sale of products / services

Increased goodwill and customer loyalty

Builds relationship capital and enhance stakeholder relations

Opportunity to gain access to markets and aid market / company

performance

Business Return - Specific - Qualitative

Human Resources• Improved morale & recruitment & retention

•Skills development• Increased productivity

Sales & Marketing•Opportunity to enter new markets•Opportunity to sell products / services & branding

CSI•Leverage existing resources & create opportunity for internal support, buy-in, awareness

• Increased capacity

Operations•Opportunity for enhanced stakeholder relations

•Opportunity to manage licence to operate conditions & opportunity to manage operational risk

Business Return Individuals - Qualitative

Skills gained – personal skills, leadership skills, project skills,

interpersonal skills

Changed behaviour – including Undertake more volunteering, Talk

positively of company, do job better, understanding of and

empathy with colleagues, awareness of wider social issues

Impact on job – including: Job satisfaction, pride in company,

commitment to company, understanding of issues, empathy

with customers/communities – other people

Quantitative – Community impact and Business Return

•Number of beneficiaries - by type - by geographic location•Value of savings•Value of services•Value of products• Income generated•Employment value generated•Value of skills acquired

Community

•Value of contribution•Number of volunteers•Number of hours•Value / cost of hours•Value of services i.e. training - Value of skills•Rand Rate of Social Return on Investment (SROI)•Value of cost savings•Value of publicity generated

Business

•Value of services provided by volunteers•Number of EVP Partner Organisations - by type of organisation•Number of volunteers - by Demographic categories•Number of volunteer activities by type (i.e. education, health and human services, civics, arts and culture, and environment)

•Number of Volunteer Hours - by volunteer type, by volunteer activity type, volunteer frequency, average by volunteer type

•EVP Participation Rates - proportion of total number of employees, proportion of all types of volunteers

•Company-Paid Service utilization Rates

CSI

Thank You• Reana Rossouw• Next Generation Consultants - Specialists in Development• E-mail: rrossouw@nextgeneration.co.za• Web: www.nextgeneration.co.za