Understanding the social value and well-being benefits created by museums: A case for social return on investment methodology

Abstract

Modern museums do more than display historical artefacts and culturally relevant materials. The twenty-first-century museum is both a physical, technological and virtual space to learn about the past, present and future. Furthermore, the emerging importance of the social and well-being aspect of museum engagement with communities, as social justice campaigners supporting positive mental health and well-being, has never been more pronounced. The modern museum engages with far more people than visitor numbers can account for, presenting a challenge for museums to assess, evaluate and demonstrate their success, worth and value. This article assesses what the modern museum does, how it can measure its social impact, and specifically critiques the use of social return on investment methodology as an effective measurement tool.

Keywords::

• museum
• well-being
• methodology
• value
• impact

Acknowledgements

The author thanks Ben Carpenter (SROI Network/Social Value UK) for comments on the intricacies of SROI methods and colleague Kerry Wilson (ICC) for ongoing support, encouragement and enthusiasm.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

^1. This article does not seek to fully describe the SROI processes – please see Nicholls (2012).