Do you feel confident describing social value?

For many organisations, it can feel overwhelming. Procurement requirements are increasing, reporting expectations can seem complex, and there is often pressure to demonstrate meaningful impact.

Put simply: social value is about creating positive outcomes for people and communities through the work you already do.

No matter the size of your organisation, there are practical and achievable ways to make a difference. How can you get started?

Start with what you know

You may already be delivering social value without realising it.

Have your employees volunteered their time? Have you provided work experience placements, supported a local school, or created opportunities for underrepresented groups? If so, you’re already contributing to social value.

The challenge is often not doing more. It’s doing it more strategically.

By aligning social impact activity with your business objectives, you can create programmes that are meaningful, measurable and beneficial for everyone involved.

Help your community and your team

Social value isn’t just about giving back to your community,  it’s also a fantastic opportunity for you to invest in your team’s wellbeing. By creating a social value programme, it allows your team to become mentors, volunteer, and work on their personal development.

Social value also allows your team to use their expertise, networks and resources to address some of the real challenges facing young people today – from careers awareness and confidence-building to accessing opportunities and working on their employability skills.

Meaningful engagement with young people can strengthen your future talent pipelines, improve brand reputation, and boost employer engagement.

A new social value model

You may have heard about the new social value model, PPN 026. Are you unsure what it means for your organisation? New guidance has just been released, and the main focus is on jobs and skills. It could be a great opportunity to look at your organisation and see if there’s room to develop work experience or skills programmes. Our employer-led programmes fully align with this new model, and we’re happy to have a chat about how we can support your organisation. We can help you put this new guidance into practice. You can fill out our contact form below.

Focus on progress, not perfection

The most effective social value programmes don’t start with a perfect strategy. It starts with a willingness to take a step towards making a positive impact in your community.

A single volunteer, one careers talk or one meaningful interaction with a young person can have a lasting impact. Over time, those small actions build into something much bigger, creating stronger communities, more inclusive workforces and better outcomes for future generations.

So if social value feels daunting, remember: you don’t need to have all the answers. You just need to take the first step.

Get in touch to find out how we can support your social value goals and create opportunities for young people.