Standards and Guidance

Discover the International Standards on Accounting for Value.

Standards

For over 15 years, Social Value International has been setting global standards for the measuring, managing, and optimizing of social value and social impact.

Through The Principles of Social Value, and the standards set out against the application of each Principle, Social Value International enables organisations and individuals to effectively measure and manage the social value they create.

The Principles of Social Value and the standards for applying each principle, have been developed through engagement with stakeholders across the world – including social enterprises, investors, small and large companies, evaluators, researchers, practitioners, academics and policy makers. Social Value International has taken these expert perspectives into account to develop the global standards for social value measurement and management.

The SVI Standards enable any organization – large or small, private or public – to understand and report on their social impacts in an internationally consistent and credible way.

  • Principle 1: Involve Stakeholders

    Find out more about how to involve stakeholders, and download the SVI Standard for applying Principle 1.

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  • Principle 2: Understanding what Changes

    Find out more about how to understand what changes, and download the SVI Standard for applying Principle 2.

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  • Principle 3: Valuing the things that matter

    Find out more about how to value the things that matter and download the SVI Standard for applying Principle 3.

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  • Principle 4: Only include what is material

    Find out more about how to include what is material, and download the SVI Standard for applying Principle 4.

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  • Principle 5: Do not overclaim

    Find out more about how to apply Principle 5: Do not overclaim

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  • Principle 6: Be Transparent

    Find out more about how to apply Principle 6: Be Transparent.

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  • Principle 7: Verify the result

    Find out more about how to apply Principle 7: Verify the Result.

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  • Principle 8: Be Responsive

    Find out more about how to apply Principle 8: Be Responsive.

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Guidance

Social Value International and our Global Networks have worked in collaboration with partners and other global standard setters to produce guidance that can assist individuals and organisations with their measurement and management of social value.

  • The Guide to SROI

    The Guide to SROI provides a clear framework for anyone interested in measuring, managing and accounting for social value or social impact.

  • Maximise your Impact Guide

    How to engage with your stakeholders, collect data and design goods and services to maximise impact.

  • The Principles of Social Value

    This document goes into detail about each of the Principles of Social Value and what they individually mean.

  • Starting out in SROI

    This guidance helps you to understand more about how your organisation makes an impact – and how much this matters.

  • The Principles of Social Value and Accountability

    This report covers the thinking that underpins The Principles to Social Value.

  • Glossary of Social Value Terms

    This glossary covers the key terminology used in social value measurement and management and what this means.

  • The Impact Management Platform

    The is a collaboration between leading providers of public good standards and guidance for managing sustainability impacts.

 

Linkages Papers:

Sustainable Development Goals reporting and the Social Value International framework.

This is a short technical paper designed for social impact and sustainability professionals (referred to as ‘analysts’) looking to monitor, evaluate and report their contribution to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

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Impact Management Principles

EVPA’s guidance for impact management and Social Value International’s (SVI) Principles are in many ways interlinked. This document shows EVPA and SVI’s position on impact measurement and management.

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Measuring Outcomes Using the Social Value Principles

The Relationship between Social Value Principles and the Natural Capital Protocol

Exploring alignment between the Qualitative Impact Protocol and the Principles of Social Value

This B-Lab Best Practice guide will provide an overview of the principles of social value, a how to guide on implementing them in your impact management strategy, and additional resources to learn more.

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This paper seeks to explore the level of similarity between Social Value Principles and Framework and those of the Natural Capital Protocol.

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This paper explores how the Qualitative Impact Protocol (QuIP) sits within the Principles of Social Value - the SVI Framework.

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