Social Performance and Double Bottom Line Accounting

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[RichardF]

In the CGAP Phase III Mid-Term Evaluation, the authors state, "There is a fairly broad consensus among different stakeholders on certain content areas where CGAP should be involved in the future: policy and technology are cases in point. Aid effectiveness, or continuing the successful work with donors or funders, is the third area. A fourth area is the work on social performance and its integration in what we term “double bottom line accounting” as a working title. This perhaps should be considered as CGAP’s first area of work as it provides the meaning and underpinning to the rest of CGAP’s work." (p. 59 - pdf p. 77)

Increasingly, social performance is becoming viewed as more than just "good intentions" in the global microfinance industry.  Here are a few CGAP publications that cover this emerging form of microfinance accounting.


Toward a Social Performance Bottom Line in Microfinance
November 1, 2007 

This Brief discusses the industry's growing interest in social performance and new advances in measuring social performance and developing guidelines and tools for reporting. 


Beyond Good Intentions: Measuring the Social Performance of Microfinance Institutions
May 1, 2007 

This Focus Note highlights the emerging emphasis on social performance in microfinance and reviews some of the assessment tools recently developed. 


Foreign Capital Investment in Microfinance: Balancing Social and Financial Returns (Kiva Friends topic)
February 1, 2008 

As more and more private investors are getting involved in microfinance, the sector is experiencing an investment boom. Between 2004 and 2006, the stock of foreign capital investment in microfinance institutions more than tripled to reach US$4billion. So far, the vast bulk of private investment in microfinance is socially motivated, says this Focus Note, written by Xavier Reille and Sarah Forster.