Social Impact Measurement Methods and Challenges in Practice: A Study on Women Empowerment NGOs

Abstract

This study aims to explore the social impact measurement (SIM) methods and the associated challenges from the perspective of women empowerment NGOs in Turkey. Ebrahim and Rangan (2010) define social impact as "a logic chain of results in which organizational inputs and activities lead to a series of outputs, outcomes and ultimately to a set of societal impacts", which is a function of measuring the degree of project's success on the way to the women's economic empowerment in this case. Available consultancy and outsourced services on these activities are also limited in Turkey, and the existing services and frameworks are generally performed with manual procedures. Hence, these NPOs need methodologic and practical digital tools to efficiently monitor, assess, and measure those projects' outputs, outcomes, and social impact. These monitoring and measurement activities also matter in the companies or organizations who will invest in these projects to assure the outcomes' worthiness. Despite its significance, there is a lack of human and financial resources and technical support, resulting in ineffective measurement. Research conducted by Yalçın and Güner (2016) on the women's empowerment NPOs in Turkey pointed out an urgent improvement needs since NPOS still face challenges in applying the tools developed in the wide-ocean literature of the social impact measurement. In addition to that, the expectations from non-profit organizations to prove their social impact are rising every day. This brings about a need to assure their sponsors about their good acts and results in order to continue receiving funds from both their present and future donors, even though NPOs' perception towards themselves is the exact opposite of competition among each other (Arvidson & Lyon, 2014). However, the need for social impact arises not only from the funders' satisfaction, but it also emerges for their self-evaluation as Arvidson and Lyon agreed (2014). What is more, NPOs' recognition of how their social value and benefits are in the eyes of their stakeholders like the society and other beneficiaries is indispensable (Polonsky, Grau & McDonald, 2016). Keywords: Social Impact Measurement, Women Empowerment Ngos, Social Entrepreneurship