Social Return on Investment

Social Return on Investment

Social Return on Investment is a methodology used to understand how financial inputs translate into broader social, economic, and environmental value.

For NCDF Group, SROI should be presented as a disciplined measurement tool rather than as a promotional ratio. Its purpose is to provide a more structured view of value creation across the wider platform and to support stronger transparency, accountability, and evidence-led communication.

Our Methodology

NCDF Group applies a standardised SROI framework to measure, manage, and communicate value created through its programmes and investment pathways.

The methodology is intended to support:

  • Clearer understanding of value created
  • Stronger transparency and stakeholder accountability
  • More disciplined impact analysis across the wider platform
  • Better alignment between reported outcomes and institutional evidence

The methodology should be presented here as a structured framework rather than as a single headline number.

Scope and Reporting Period

SROI should always be presented with a clearly defined scope.

  • The reporting period covered
  • The portfolio, programmes, or activities included
  • The entities or platforms within scope
  • Whether the figure is group-wide, programme-specific, or platform- specific
  • Whether the result is actual, estimated, or blended

No SROI ratio should appear on this page unless the reporting scope and reporting period are clearly stated alongside it.

How SROI Is Calculated

NCDF Group’s SROI methodology should explain clearly how the ratio is derived.

The framework should make clear that SROI is intended to express the relationship between the value created and the investment required to generate that value.

Formula display: SROI = (Total Social Value Created – Investments) / Investments

Supporting text: This ratio is intended to show how much measurable value is generated for every unit of investment within the defined scope and reporting period.

Assumptions and Limitations

All SROI reporting depends on assumptions, valuation choices, and scope decisions.

  • The availability and quality of data
  • The use of valuation proxies where direct market values are not available
  • The treatment of attribution, deadweight, displacement, and drop-off where applicable
  • The boundaries of the selected reporting scope
  • The timing of outcome recognition
  • The level of assurance and verification applied

Related Impact Reports

Impact Case Studies

Sustainability

Risk Management & Safeguard

Methodology Contact

Methodology questions should be routed through a defined institutional contact point. This helps support clearer interpretation, more disciplined engagement, and stronger confidence in how impact information is presented across the wider estate.