In the current tough economic circumstances, it is not enough for charities and social enterprises to make a difference to pressing social problems. They must demonstrate value in a vivid way to existing and potential new funders, to practitioners and financial experts.

Yet effective studies can be hard to undertake. They call for insights into what commissioners and funders really want; experience of what the sector really does achieve; and quantitative expertise that focuses on what really counts.

In our work, we have blended together key points from quantitative techniques and qualitative impacts, to design a rounded evaluation approach for a variety of social ventures, charities, local authorities and housing associations, both in the UK and internationally.

Our work has encompassed business cases and metrics on issues ranging from homelessness to youth unemployment, health innovations to criminal justice.

Find out more about the Young Foundation's work on valuing health innovations

Key Reading:

• Health innovations value tool- This tool gives drive and direction to service change by assessing the economic and social value of a given health project, compared to existing approaches.