Social Impact Calculator
A visual, holistic approach to cost-benefit analysis that examines the full social return of investments and policies.
Version 2.0 [October 2020]
Overview
When it comes to looking at the holistic impact of an investment on the things we care about- quality of life, equity, the environment- traditional CBAs are woefully inadequate. The Social Impact Calculator is a visual tool that shows investment and return from both the government and public perspectives in a comprehensive way that aligns values and outcomes. The purpose is both to help decision-makers make smart long-term choices and to help communicate the reasoning behind such choices to residents. [1]
[1] Cityfi (2019). "Quantifying Social Costs and Benefits to Guide Individual Action". Medium.
Why use it?
The Social Benefit Calculator:
- Makes the invisible visible - The focus on naming and broadly estimating all significant social costs and benefits keep the decision-making process rooted in reality and attentive to typically overlooked and difficult to measure factors
- Has a flexible, open-source framework that allows staff and community members to make adjustments over time to take new information into account, as well as apply the framework to different policies and investments
- Uses a long-term time horizon (30 years for infrastructure, 10 years for add-on investments) to help guide smart decisions
- Maximizes community engagement and informed discussion through a simple, visual interface
Who is it for?
Policymakers, companies
How long does it take?
While the framework serves as a template, it takes time to fill in the specific impacts and estimated values that relate to your particular project. We recommend using round numbers for estimates in order to convey the large margin of error and communicate most simply to community members. We also recommend embracing subjective forecasts or adjustments to research from people with expertise within your organization. Logic and common sense are often more accurate than using "objective" proxy data. Still, you will need to gather those experts and other key stakeholders to decide on assumptions, talk through the range of impact values (we've used 0-30 to reflect 1 full return for each year of assumed lifespan), and finalize the numbers and visual. Plan for 3-6 months.
How many people is it for?
Flexible
What materials do you need?
The Social Impact Calculator is built in Tableau and uses Google Sheets as its database. Note that Tableau licenses may be provided to non-profits at no cost.
What does the facilitator need to know or be able to do?
It takes courage to put up numbers that include subjectivity. However, it is necessary if we are to include the meaningful impacts that are difficult to measure, and expert subjectivity is often more trustworthy than statistics taken from objective research (e.g. willingness-to-pay surveys). The facilitator needs to be able to communicate that the visual is meant to be a basis for discussion and evolve over time.
Expertise in Tableau or other data visualization and software is also helpful to make the tool as user friendly in its final form as possible.
Acknowledgements
Cityfi, Miami-Dade County Department of Public Works
Links
- Cityfi. Lawson, Chelsea et al (2019). "Miami-Dade Social Return on Investment Methodology."
- Policy Application - "The Social Cost of Cheap Corn."
- Investment Application 1 - "Scenario Comparison of Bus Express Rapid Transit in Miami-Dade County."
- Investment Application 2 - "Comparison of Mobility Hub Investments in Miami-Dade County."
- Google Sheets Template
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This tool is licensed under a Creative Commons BY SA 4.0 license. For full details visit our Licensing Rules. 
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Deston Tanner
Tarentum, Pennsylvania, United States of America
I've tried my best to advance the vision of Doughnut Economics via Climate Reality, Global Citizen, the SDG Academy, Amnesty International, and the WWF.
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Member
Kimmo Hokkanen
Tampere, Länsi-Suomi, Finland
A Culture gardener working on improving the (economic) cultural soil and planting seeds for flourishing ecosocial regeneration. Creating tools, space and ways of communication for taking care of this garden. Helping grow regeneratively two cooperatives, Ehta Raha & Jälleenrakentajat.
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Cizar Bachir Brahim
Stockholm, Sweden
I'm an academic, entrepreneurs and passionate with the UNSDGs, circular economy and circular innovation. I'm the author of: The Colony of Innovative Startups: A Practical Guide for Policymakers and Corporate Leaders
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Greta Bertozzini
Budapest, Ungheria
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Antonios Triantafyllakis
Kraków, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland
I’m a strategic consultant, learning designer, and gamification expert with over 20 years of experience helping organisations drive social and environmental impact through experiential learning. I've had the privilege of working with over 40 organisations and training more than 2,000 individuals across three continents, creating transformative learning experiences that build 21st-century skills. My work bridges gamification with sustainability, equipping purpose-driven organisations to achieve measurable impact through playful and experiential approaches. I’m passionate about fostering a world of equal rights and opportunities where diverse, active citizens work towards an inclusive, innovative, and sustainable future. If you’re a purpose-driven organisation, an educator, or a changemaker seeking to amplify your impact and cultivate future-ready skills, let’s explore how we can make a difference together. I’m ready to collaborate and bring lasting change. Let’s change the world together!
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Cathy Little
Grey Highlands, Ontario, Canada
I'm a second-term Councillor with the Municipality of Grey Highlands, a geographically large, rural municipality with a population of 10 000+. My responsibilities include Community and Economic Development Liaison, Economic Development Advisory Committee Member and Conservation Authority Board Member. My personal experience and professional life led me to Doughnut Economics. I am excited to learn and share with my community.
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Amandine Sabourin
Brussels, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale - Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest, Belgium
Researcher on public policies of cooperation and development, I now advocate for local governments active in decentralised cooperation. Interested to applying the doughnut to the local level!
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Yuge Lei
Frankfurt am Main, Hessen, Germany
Frankfurt Doughnut Coalition - I am an economist 10+ years of experience in the field of international development with a focus on sustainable infrastructure. I am immensely passionate about sustainability and climate action, striving to do my part to create a cleaner and more just world for future generations.
