Driving social value from intent to action

Making an organisational commitment to improve social value is the easy part of the social value journey.  Keeping that commitment to deliver tangible change is where public and social sector organisations can make a genuine, positive, and lasting difference to the lives of people in the communities they serve.

Our recent research report – Demystifying ESG: a pathway to enhance social value in the public and social sector – reveals that organisations are stepping up their approach to social value. Many are proactively taking a lead to demonstrate true leadership around ESG-related (environment, social and governance) issues.

Successful ESG journeys

The public and social sector organisations that have been most successful in their ESG journeys so far demonstrate common enablers of success. These include:

• Senior leadership engagement to emphasise the importance of social value and define the social value impact the organisation wants to have on its stakeholders and communities.
• A clear ESG mission and/or objective around which the whole organisation can orientate its activity.
• A coordinated strategy which documents priority ESG-related initiatives and outcomes.
• The right resourcing model – time, expertise, and investment – to support success.
• An ability to measure and report progress on a regular basis.

32% of those surveyed by Mazars say they have a documented social value or ESG strategy in place today,  and only a further 25% expect to do so within the next three years.

In addition, only 54% of those surveyed believe they have strong buy-in from their executive team to deliver social value or ESG goals today.

Buy-in is only part of what is required. Public and social sector organisations need to follow through with credible actions that make a real difference to environmental, social and governance outcomes.

Read the full report

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_{Demystifying ESG: a pathway to enhance social value in the public and social sector was released in Autumn 2021. It is based on research among 60 senior leaders in public and social sector organisations and showcases a mix of research findings, industry perspectives, and Mazars' insights.}