SIAA is a newly established, international professional body that supports and connects all those involved in social impact analysis. We aim to share knowledge of social impact analysis and raise awareness of it as a new profession. Our membership is broad and ranges from researchers and economists to charity representatives, academics and foundation chief executives.

SIAA has been set up following four years of extensive consultation and discussion within the voluntary sector. We are supported by a consortium of funders including the Adessium Foundation in the Netherlands, Bertelsmann Stiftung in Germany, New Philanthropy Capital in the UK and PricewaterhouseCoopers Germany.

Vision and mission

SIAA’s purpose is to be a hub for those involved in social impact analysis internationally and across different policy areas, to improve the flow of information about social impact analysis and to help our members learn from one another. Our vision is of an impactful and more effective non-profit sector in which social impact assessment helps organisations set strategy and deliver on their core mission.

Why now

There is now huge demand for social impact analysis in the non-profit and philanthropy sectors. Non-profit organisations worldwide must increasingly understand their impact in order track their performance, allocate resources effectively, and set strategy – as well as to demonstrate their value for money to funders.

Though social impact analysis is becoming increasingly widespread, the practice still tends to be fragmented and of a varying standard. There are few opportunities for sharing knowledge and information about how best to conduct social impact analysis, or how to put the results to use within an organisation. Social impact analysis as a profession remains little known, unregulated and unsupported.