Client Story

How do you show that your mission is truly making a difference in the nonprofit world? Traditional Return on Investment (ROI) can’t capture the value of empowering individuals or strengthening communities. Business investments aim to generate a financial return, which helps determine the investment’s value. In the nonprofit sector, determining that value is more complex. Since nonprofits typically do not generate revenue, the traditional ROI measure does not apply. As a result, the work of nonprofits is often undervalued due to the lack of an effective way to measure their impact. 

This value can be determined by calculating Social Return on Investment (SROI). SROI measures outcomes not typically included in traditional ROI and assesses how an organization leverages resources to benefit communities. 

Turnstone—a nonprofit dedicated to empowering individuals with disabilities in northern Indiana—was seeking support as it looked to improve its sustainability and impact. The organization does vital work in the community and wanted to demonstrate its value.

Turnstone hired Transform Consulting Group (TCG) to calculate their services’ SROI, specifically for pediatric and adult physical, occupational, and speech therapy services. The goals of the study included: 

• Quantify Impact: Measure the SROI to gain insights into the impact of Turnstone’s therapy services.
• Communicate Impact: Develop a report highlighting Turnstone’s innovative therapy services for individuals with disabilities, which will be shared with donors, government leaders, and other key partners. 
• Improve Sustainability: Enhance funding diversification strategies by analyzing Turnstone’s client outcomes.

 The SROI assessment shows that for every dollar invested in Turnstone’s therapy services, $3.02 in social and economic value is returned to the community. Over the two years, Turnstone invested $3.3 million in services such as speech, occupational, and physical therapy, directly benefiting 711 individuals with disabilities, including 578 children and 133 adults.

TCG found an SROI of $10 million in social and economic benefits generated for the local community.  This study evaluated the impact of Turnstone’s therapy services from April 2022 to March 2024 and underscored the organization’s critical role in improving lives while delivering measurable value to the region.

Other key findings of the SROI report include:

• Increased Independence: Therapy clients experience enhanced mobility and self-sufficiency, reducing their need for ongoing therapy and other services.
• Healthcare Savings: Turnstone’s services saved $2.3 million in insurance billings and reduced healthcare costs for individuals with disabilities by $2 million.
• Social and Emotional Growth: Clients developed emotional resilience and communication skills, which resulted in $525,000 in savings on mental health services.
• School Readiness: Children receiving therapy were better prepared for school environments, resulting in $1.2 million in savings on special education services and $3.8 million in avoided costs for home-based therapies.

• Completed a “data cleanup” alongside Turnstone staff to identify data gaps and limitations 
• Identified and quantified the resources invested in the program and the groups that benefit from receiving the services.
• Facilitated discussions on the impacts experienced by individuals who utilize therapy services.
• Conducted benchmarking research of organizations that serve individuals with disabilities. 
• Gathered any other publicly available data necessary to complete the social return on investment calculation and provide appropriate context. 
• Quantified the value of identified Turnstone services and programs through an SROI calculation
• Created a case statement explaining the social returns experienced after investing in Turnstone programming to help the public and potential donors and funders understand how their support impacts not only individuals served by Turnstone but also the local community.
• Developed a report that communicates the methodology, data collection process, data analysis, and findings of the SROI study.
• Created a public-facing, one-page overview of the report in a user-friendly format to share internally and with external partners.