Social Value Indonesia (SVID) held its monthly Online Coffee Chat session on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. This relaxed yet insightful discussion unpacked Principle 3 of the 8 Social Value Principles — Value the Things That Matter. The session is part of a regular study series designed for SVID members to deepen their understanding of social value principles and their relevance across practical contexts.
Exploring the Principle: What Truly Has Value?
The discussion opened with reflections from Nur Astri MS, a practitioner from Social Value Associates and SVID, who emphasized the importance of listening to and understanding what stakeholders consider truly important. She stressed that social value is not merely numbers or outputs, but must reflect real and meaningful outcomes experienced by those affected.
Key questions that sparked discussion included:
- Does our organisation measure what is easy to measure, or what is meaningful to stakeholders?
- Who actually determines value? Us, or those directly affected?
- How do we ensure that our valuation approach does not obscure the reality faced by communities?
Challenges in Measurement and Valuation
The session went beyond theory to address practical realities. Deep discussion took place regarding challenges and inconsistencies in implementing social value assessments across Indonesia. Mardi noted the need for standardized methodology and reporting, while other participants highlighted the balance between quantitative and qualitative valuation, as well as avoiding overclaiming in impact reporting.
Stakeholder Engagement: Key to Validity
Stakeholder involvement was highlighted as crucial. Citra and Roy emphasized using participatory methods—both stated preference and cost-based approaches—to ensure calculated values reflect actual community conditions and priorities.
SROI and Social Value Literacy Challenges in Indonesia
The discussion also touched on Social Return on Investment (SROI) practice locally. Low literacy and an overemphasis on numerical scores often lead to misunderstandings of social value's true meaning. Participants agreed on the need for continuous education for regulators and practitioners, as well as policy briefs to improve mechanistic evaluation approaches.
Towards a Fairer Valuation System
In closing, Jumadi raised the potential for conflict between companies and stakeholders regarding differences in perceiving "what is valuable." SVID is strategically positioned to serve as an independent mediator bridging perception gaps and advocating fairer, transparent evaluation.
From Discussion to Concrete Action
Following up on this discussion, Social Value Indonesia will engage relevant stakeholders to strengthen the understanding and application of social value principles in practice and policy. SVID is committed to developing educational materials and public literacy programs, particularly for regulators and evaluators.
SVID is also exploring policy briefs and academic papers as references for improving social impact assessment in Indonesia—focusing on contextual, participatory, and non-purely numeric approaches. Regular monthly Coffee Chats will continue as part of strengthening Indonesia's social value ecosystem.
Resolution
The May 2025 Coffee Chat serves as a call to rethink how we view value in social work and development. "Value the Things That Matter" demands placing stakeholder experiences at the core of impact evaluation. True social value is born from listening, reflecting, and changing.