Community Social Return on Investment Calculator

Social return on investment (SROI) compares the monetised value of community outcomes with the full cost of delivering a program. Use this calculator to weight each outcome, remove deadweight, apply optional drop-off, and express the resulting value as an easy-to-share ratio.

Enter all cash and in-kind expenses for the analysed period.
Sum the economic value of primary outcomes after surveys or impact valuations.
Stakeholder weighting that reflects how meaningful the outcome is on a 0–100% scale.
Percentage of outcomes that would have happened without the program.
Leave blank to assume outcomes hold steady with 0% annual drop-off.
Leave blank to model a 3-year benefit horizon.

Strategic planning aid. Validate calculations with audited impact reports before publishing SROI figures.

Examples

  • Workforce reskilling: cost $250,000, benefits $420,000, impact weight 85%, deadweight 15%, drop-off 10%, 3-year horizon ⇒ Social return on investment: 3.29:1. Net social value: $572,349.50.
  • Neighborhood revitalisation: cost $90,000, benefits $120,000, impact weight 70%, deadweight 20%, horizon 2 years, 0% drop-off ⇒ Social return on investment: 1.49:1. Net social value: $44,400.00.

FAQ

Should I include a discount rate?

If you require present-value adjustments, discount the annual benefits before entering them or shorten the horizon to the period you can evidence.

How do I handle multiple outcomes?

Aggregate all monetised outcomes into the benefits field after applying impact weighting per outcome, or run separate scenarios when stakeholders value outcomes differently.

Can the SROI be negative?

Yes. When weighted benefits are lower than program costs, the ratio drops below 1:1 and the net social value becomes negative, highlighting a value destruction risk.

Additional Information

  • Weighting scales the monetised outcomes by stakeholder importance before deadweight reductions are applied.
  • Drop-off discounts future-year benefits to reflect diminishing impact. Enter 0% to treat each year equally or raise the rate to simulate attrition.
  • Complement this calculation with your organisation's financial ROI or payback analysis to align social and fiscal performance narratives.

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