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Social Performance for MFIs

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What is it?

In this section:
  • The Basics


  • Critique and Debate

  • Microfinance Initiatives

  • Private Sector Initiatives
  • Social performance, or the social bottom line, is about making an organization's social mission a reality. The Social Performance Task Force defines social performance as:

    "The effective translation of an institution's social mission into practice in line with accepted social values that relate to serving larger numbers of poor and excluded people; improving the quality and appropriateness of financial services; creating benefits for clients; and improving social responsibility of an MFI."

    Traditional evaluation has focused on end results and impact. However, impact is just one element of social performance. Social performance looks at the entire process by which impact is created. It therefore includes analysis of the declared objectives of institutions, the effectiveness of their systems and services in meeting these objectives, related outputs (for example, reaching larger numbers of very poor households) and indeed success in effecting positive changes in the lives of clients.

    SOCIAL PERFORMANCE FRAMEWORK

    INTENT AND DESIGN
    What is the mission of the MFI?
    Does it have clear social objectives, and are systems designed to achieve those objectives?

    ACTIVITIES
    What activities will the MFI undertake to achieve the mission?


    OUTPUT
    Does the MFI serve poor and very poor people?

    Are the products designed to meet their needs?


    OUTCOME / IMPACT

    Have MFI clients experienced social and economic improvement?

    This framework was accepted by the SPTF to describe how social performance is about many different dimensions. Different social performance initiatives choose to assess social performance through focusing on specific dimensions and not necessarily on the whole. CGAP and Ford assess social performance through looking at outcomes. CERISE focuses on intent, activities and output (but not on outcomes and impact).
    For more information on microfinance social performance initiatives and how they relate to this framework, click here.
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