SVA is delighted to formalise our non-exclusive partnership with Socialsuite, a leading provider of outcomes measurement and reporting software, through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
Through the partnership SVA and Socialsuite aim to provide seamless end-to-end outcomes monitoring and evaluation solutions, share insights and lead innovation in monitoring and evaluation in the Australian social sector.
Over the years, SVA Consulting has supported numerous social-purpose organisations to measure and evaluate the outcomes they deliver to the community. One of the key challenges to implementing outcomes measurement is developing the right processes for the data collection and reporting, so that they can be easily adopted by the program and organisation. Recently, leading social sector organisations have been investing in specialist software and IT platforms to improve these processes. These platforms make data collection quicker and easier, and make outcomes reporting more relevant and timely.
Together, SVA Consulting and Socialsuite offer organisations an end-to-end solution to outcomes measurement and evaluation, with SVA Consulting working with clients to design the overall outcomes measurement and evaluation approach, and Socialsuite providing a platform for data collection and reporting.
SVA Consulting and Socialsuite have worked together on several outcomes measurement projects. One of these, the YMCA Victoria Bridge Project, was the winner of the 2014 Award for Innovation in Social Impact Measurement by SIMNA (the Social Impact Measurement Network Australia).
The diagram below illustrates the cycle of outcomes measurement and reporting activities that SVA Consulting and Socialsuite have supported our past clients to undertake. SVA work with organisations to define the purpose of their program or organisation (Step 1) and use this as the basis to develop a plan for outcomes measurement (Step 2). Socialsuite build the plan into the platform for data collection (Step 3) and reporting (Step 4). To complete the cycle, SVA Consulting assists organisations to use the results to improve their service delivery and resource allocation (Step 5).
SVA Consulting has deep knowledge of the social sector and understands the practicalities of integrating measurement and evaluation into an organisation, including the implications on business processes, staff resourcing and client engagement. We work with organisations to develop pragmatic approaches to collecting the data they need to make strategic decisions that matter the most in creating impact.
The Socialsuite platform has been developed based upon industry requirements and feedback, and offers simplified data collection using smartphones, tablets and cloud-based technology. Being able to measure and report on outcomes in real time allows organisations to rapidly assess their impact and evolve their programs and services. The platform has been designed to be methodology-agnostic, and can be configured to accommodate numerous measurement and evaluation approaches, including Results Based Accountability and Social Return on Investment.
SVA Consulting does not work exclusively with Socialsuite and has established relationships with a number of other outcomes measurement platform providers. More information on outcomes measurement platforms can be found in our Quarterly article “Look before you leap into buying outcomes measurement software”. If you would like to discuss how SVA Consulting and Socialsuite can assist you to implement or improve your outcomes measurement and evaluation, please contact Simon Faivel at sfaivel@socialventures.com.au.
