The MERSE social value assessment and communication tool presented in webinar

The webinar was co-hosted by Mid-Sweden University and Helsinki University’s Institute of Ruralia, and attracted a diverse audience: social enterprises, support organizations, regional actors as well as municpalities and representatives from Nordic Universities. Why social value matters 

Why Social Value matters

A recurring challenge in the field of social entrepreneurship is the lack of clarity around social impact and long-term societal savings. This uncertainty has long limited the sustainability of social enterprises. Being able to assess and communicate results and effects to stakeholders is crucial – not only to attract users and funders, but also to identify areas for improvement within the enterprise. 

Despite the existence of various evaluation tools on the market, most are poorly adapted to small social enterprises, making them difficult to use in practice. The MERSE project aims to change that.

Presentation of the MERSE Tool 

A highlight of the webinar was the demonstration of the first version of MERSE’s simplified online tool for measuring and communicating social value. Erik Okfors from Creative Crowd showcased how the tool can help small social entrepreneurs present their impact in a way that is both accessible and relevant. Later, the tool will be released in its full version – open and free for everyone to use.

Participants also heard an inspiring example from Norway, where Veronica Schenke Reinås from Eikre Activity shared how her enterprise works with social impact in practice.

Research Insights 

MERSE’s research shows that many social enterprises struggle to measure their social value due to lack of knowledge, limited resources, and insufficient support systems. Older enterprises, those with more employees, or those receiving public funding are more likely to measure their impact.

– Being able to demonstrate value is crucial for reaching both markets and funders – especially in rural areas where resources are often limited, noted Yvonne von Friedrichs, project manager, Mid-Sweden University.

Feedback on the MERSE tool

The webinar concluded with a workshop where participants provided feedback on the pilot version of the tool and discussed improvements. Suggestions included:

• An onboarding process to help enterprises start using the tool. 
• Options to tailor reports for different audiences. 
• Ensuring the tool requires minimal technical skills. 

– The first version of the MERSE-developed measurement and communication tool that we demonstrated, was very well received by the participants, says Yvonne von Friedrichs. 

Next steps

The next phase of the project will involve continued testing and development in collaboration with social enterprises across the participating regions. 

– Our hopes with the webinar, are that the participants will have increased their knowledge of why it is important for social entrepreneurs to have easy access and low cost tools to measure and communicate social value to stakeholders, says Yvonne von Friedrichs. 

Watch the webinar here

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More about the MERSE Project

MERSE brings together 20 partners and associate partners from Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, and Sweden, and is co-funded by the Interreg Northern Periphery and Arctic Programme along with the Regions of Jämtland Härjedalen and Västernorrland.