Quick Start Guide: Answers to Common Questions about Social Return on Investment

When organizations invest in understanding their impact, they often turn to models that connect impact to economic returns—not just in theory, but in a way that informs strategy, strengthens accountability, and resonates with diverse audiences.

At the Center for Social Investment, we’ve supported clients across our focus areas of behavioral health, community health, justice, economic security, and child and family services to do just that. Over time, we’ve seen the same questions emerge: What should be monetized, and for whom? How do you navigate imperfect or incomplete data? What about the outcomes that are real and meaningful but don’t have a dollar sign attached? This guide offers grounded responses to those questions, informed by hands-on experience helping programs elevate both the rigor and the resonance of their results.

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