How Organizations Measure the Real Impact of Social Enterprise Programs

Professional, financial, and personal growth were the top three positive outcomes for beneficiaries who participated in workforce development programs.

by Susan Galer

To find out if your social enterprise program is valuable, ask the beneficiaries. When researchers from 60 Decibels did just that, they discovered that nearly three out of four beneficiaries from three workforce development social enterprise programs worldwide – all partners of the SAP Social Sabbatical initiative – found value in acquiring new skills and the ability to get a better job. Almost 700 people who attended workforce development or entrepreneurship programs provided feedback to the survey. Participants were predominantly disadvantaged or disabled youth who averaged 28 years old and were evenly split between genders. What they all shared was the desire for a better life, whether they struck out on their own or worked for an organization in pretty much any industry.

“It’s impossible to measure the impact of volunteerism unless you actually talk with the beneficiaries. Unlike traditional post-project research that can take years to get results, our remote data collection and analysis approach surfaces project impact in weeks, making it actionable faster for corporate sponsors like SAP and their social enterprise partners and the communities they serve,” said Sasha Dichter, co-founder and CEO at 60 Decibels. “With near real-time information from beneficiaries, organizations can hold themselves accountable, quickly comparing results from different geographies and using the data to improve offerings based on participant feedback.”

To read the full Forbes article, check out the link below.

Read the Forbes article
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SAP and 60 Decibels Team Up to Study Impact

To commemorate 10 years of the SAP Social Sabbatical, SAP partnered with 60 Decibels. The impact data below is collected directly from SAP’s employee participants, client partners, as well as their beneficiaries.

85%

of partners improved ability to better serve their beneficiaries

74%

of employees report a long-term impact on their professional careers

77%

of client partners report improvements in their quality of life

See the data for yourself

Below, you can download the 3 reports 60dB created through surveys with SAP’s employees, partners, and beneficiaries.

Download the SAP Employee Survey Report
Click here
Download the SAP Partner Survey Report
Click here
Download the SAP Beneficiary Survey Report
Click here

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