Social value is still an evolving concept, dynamic, sometimes misunderstood, and often shaped by narratives that don’t reflect how the sector actually works – or at least how maximising the impact works.
At whatimpact.com – National Social Value Marketplace ®, we have never been afraid to challenge all misconceptions, even when it means saying things that not everyone wants to hear. Our marketplace has transformed into holistic ‘partnership management platform’, developed based on user feedback.
From our beginning, whatimpact has been far more than a “platform provider” or a simple directory competing in the CSR or VCSE listing space. Our foundation lies in years of research, whitepaper publications, policy engagement, think tank work, education and sector-wide collaboration. All this long before social value became a mainstream procurement requirement. We have contributed to the national conversation, helped shape thinking in public, private and voluntary sectors, and advocated tirelessly for fairness, transparency and equal opportunity.
Our ethos has always been clear: every VCSE, regardless of size, geography or brand recognition, deserves an equal chance to access funding, partnerships and procurement opportunities.
This principle guides everything we do.
VCSEs never pay for our services, they never have and never will. And while we welcome private sector and council subscribers, our work is not shaped around maximising their income potential, we shape it around impact.
Behind the scenes, we invest an enormous amount of time in training and advising VCSEs, offering genuine live customer service for everyone, and building tools that make social value accessible rather than exclusive. Our open-access marketplace layer allows private sector organisations including SMEs to directly discover and partner with VCSEs through the most advanced marketplace environment in the UK. We empower VCSEs to report on the true impact in a manner that meets accreditation and audit requirements.
We co-develop our solutions with all sectors. Our latest major investment demonstrates this commitment: a pro-bono, full-day webinar and conference series for all UK VCSEs across all four nations, bringing together expertise from the Cabinet Office, NCVO, NPC, councils, CVS organisations, consultants and practitioners.
Taking place in March 2026, the VCSE Summit 2026 sessions will strengthen VCSE capability in public sector procurement, social value delivery, resource mobilisation and digital skills.
Because we genuinely care about the whole ecosystem, not just one part of it.
This bold stance sometimes surprises people, because it challenges comfortable assumptions or feel-good actions with no evidence of impact.
The 5 things you SHOULD NOT BE SAYING about social value
1 “All social value brokerages are the same.”
The UK has been the forerunner of charity platforms for decades. Donation and volunteering websites have existed for many years. whatimpact launched its first iteration, mapping all UK charities with resource requests in 2017.
But not all platforms or “brokerages” are the same.
Some restrictive local listing sites and require separate logins for each area or limit VCSE access to a very small pool of organisations with instant “top-off” resource requests. This narrow view frames brokerage as nothing more than matching a donation with a charity. Usually requests on these platforms are focused on instant needs, smaller donations only. Forcing medium and large contracts and contractors to choose from their partners from these narrow pools are diminishing social value. We must think bigger and create more meaningful partnerships.
True social value brokerage must cover the full spectrum: employability programmes, work placements, environmental initiatives, supply chain partnerships, long-term collaborations. Not just quick-fix giving that brings little lasting change to the local area.
Social value is broad, strategic and outcomes-driven, which means there needs to be enough data to understand the potential for impact. Treating all brokerages as equal minimises the potential of the entire concept.
2 “Impact reporting is just pie charts and numbers.”
Flashy pie charts or histograms may catch the attention, but they rarely tell the real, full story. Instead of counting how many outputs have been reached, organisations should focus on outcomes, validated evidence and provable impact.
Procurement-related social value demands far more robust data than what was donated, who received it, and whether the VCSEs was pleased. Reducing impact to numeric snapshots or feel-good graphics shrinks the true value of social value. Without evidence, depth and traceability, reporting becomes performative rather than an evaluation tool for analysing, ‘was it worth it?’.
The gasp we hear when we state that the impact can be negative or there is no impact at all is loud. The truth is that if the investment to an activity is higher than the benefit, the resources could have been better used
3 “Social value should be easy.”
If someone claims social value is easy and simple, it’s a sign they have not understood the depth of the concept or that their ambition is too low.
Real social value involves aligning with company mission, understanding local needs, analysing areas of deprivation, finding delivery partners, coordinating programmes, mobilising volunteers and measuring data with accuracy and integrity. It is complex because communities are complex, and genuine outcomes require thoughtful planning and long-term commitment.
Any platform presenting social value as effortless is overlooking the reality of what it takes to create sustained, measurable change.
Social Value is part of business operations, and should not be diminished by stating it to be easier than HR, brand building or sales.
4 “Every little helps, one kettle at a time.”
VCSEs have raised resources from local communities for decades. But we are seeing an alarming trend: public sector procurement social value is increasingly substituting what used to come from long-term community partnerships, donations from local SME, retailers, individuals, freecycle sites, crowdfunding, or even low-cost charity shop purchases.
Procurement related social value is expected to deliver added value to a contract and area it takes place. If the system begins to funnel simple, easily obtained items into procurement reporting, something crucial is lost.
VCSEs should be encouraged to think strategically about their resource requests. If a kettle or office sofa can be sourced through community relationships, donation networks or local partners, please do so. Procurement-based social value should aim higher, not replace existing support systems but build on them to deliver true, additional impact.
5 “Local needs are what VCSEs need.”
Local needs and resource needs are not the same.
VCSEs need resources, funding, volunteers, equipment, skills. But, people need services, care, support and opportunities. What communities need should be determined by local strategies, deprivation and consultation data and unique local circumstances, not by the immediate wish-lists of organisations.
Public sector tenders should prioritise needs based on evidence, not assumption or someone’s opinion. Procurement-related social value must harness its full potential by creating new projects and programmes that last for years – initiatives that would not have happened otherwise.
Why are we stating this?
Because we believe in growing together with all operators in the market. Social value is not a competition. It is a collective effort to create long-term benefit for communities, public services and the organisations that support them. By speaking openly about these misconceptions, we are not criticising the sector; we are strengthening it.
We also want to wipe out the ranting and scepticism from those who question the purpose, credibility or benefit of social value policies and practices. The best way to do that is by ensuring that social value is done well: with ambition, clarity, evidence and fairness.
This is a moment for the sector to raise its expectations. To aim higher. To look beyond small wins and towards bigger social value and true impact, the kind that genuinely improves lives, strengthens communities and transforms public outcomes.
This is why we say these things boldly.
Because social value deserves nothing less.
