Wofford, BirthMatters to unveil research results
May 10, 2017
Students working for The Space in the Mungo Center at Wofford College have produced what may be the first calculation of social return on investment for a nonprofit organization in Spartanburg County.
Results of the student-led consulting project evaluating the impact of BirthMatters’ doula program will be presented at a party at 4 p.m. Thursday, May 11, in The Space on Evins Street on Wofford’s campus.
The event is free and open to the public, but RSVPs are requested through EventBrite. Go to www.eventbrite.com and search for BirthMatters. Click on the link to the registration page.
Social return on investment (SROI) is a method of measuring extra-financial value – environmental and social value not currently reflected in conventional financial return on investment accounts – relative to resources invested.
The Space, Wofford’s professional development program, was contracted by BirthMatters, a Spartanburg-based nonprofit that seeks to reduce teen pregnancy through reproductive health education and to provide doula support to vulnerable expectant mothers and their families, to calculate the organization’s SROI.
The Space hired three Wofford students for the research that focused on BirthMatters’ birth support, or doula services, provided free to women ages 24 and younger, insured by Medicaid and living in Spartanburg County. Working with the students was Andrew Green, associate professor of finance.
“We think this may be the first calculation of social return on investment conducted for a nonprofit based in Spartanburg,” says Tyler Senecal, entrepreneurial programs director of The Space. “These types of experiences allow our student researchers to develop a problem-solving mindset. By dealing with real world examples students learn, while at the same time providing a local organization with much-needed research to help its leaders make decisions regarding its funding and services. It’s a win-win situation.”
Thursday’s presentation will begin at 4 p.m. Light refreshments and adult beverages (for those of legal age) will be provided.
Free parking is available behind Calvary Baptist Church on North Church Street; turn onto Evins Street from Church, then turn left onto Osage Street. The fenced lot is on the left at the end of Osage, near the corner with Pearl Street.
For more information on the program, contact Hannah Wofford at 864-597-4794.
Wofford College, established in 1854, is a four-year, residential liberal arts college located in Spartanburg, S.C. It offers 25 major fields of study to a student body of 1,650 undergraduates. Nationally known for the strength of its academic program, outstanding faculty, study abroad participation and successful graduates, Wofford is home to one of the nation’s 283 Phi Beta Kappa chapters. The college community enjoys Greek Life as well as 19 NCAA Division I athletics teams.
