Social Performance Task Force

Role and Objectives of the Social Performance Task Force

The Social Performance Task Force is an action-oriented group of over 350 members representing practitioners, donors, social investors, regional and national networks and raters worldwide. During the first years of the task force, the group focused on defining social performance, developing a common framework for social performance, creating basic communication pieces for the industry to understand social performance, and developed a training agenda for future work in social performance measurement and management. The task force continues to:

  1. Promote and support the management of social performance by MFIs
  2. Work towards developing standards and guidelines for social performance
  3. Assess the market demand for social performance information – who wants the information and what information is considered most relevant? Determine the interest for the organizations so that the maximum of organizations have incentives to report.
  4. Advocate the value, importance and imperative of social performance in the MF industry
  5. Coordinate/Communicate/Disseminate information about global activities related to SP via the SP Resource Center and through materials to task force members to distribute throughout their regions.

 

The task force serves as a forum for engagement around issues and questions that need task force member input for resolution as opposed to being a forum for general information exchange.

It will be important to involve a large group of practitioners in the dialogue and process of developing standards so it is not developed through a top down approach. However, to be able to take an active part in this process and dialogue, there is a need for more training and capacity building of practitioners and support in developing SPM systems that would incorporate interests of different stakeholders being useful operationally. So there is a need to work simultaneously top down and bottom up – engaging stakeholders in the dialogue so that we all arrive at standards that will be consensus driven. The role of the task force is to manage this process and make sure the interests of different stakeholders will meet in the end in a balanced way.


The SP Task Force Agenda: Objectives to be achieved by end 2009


The Task Force, working through its working groups and task force membership, aims at the achievement of the following results by end 2009

 

  1. “SPTF Going Forward”- Develop Steering Committee and new structure for SPTF – led by Laura Foose
    • Develop an interim steering committee representative of the task force membership
    • Develop by-laws and structure for task force based on CGAP and IASB
    • Develop new Declaration of Principles which defines membership and key objectives of task force

          March 2009 update:  The nominations process is underway and voting for Steering Committee members will take place in late April/early May.

 

     2. Social Indicators – led by Micol Pistelli, MIX

  • Finalize definitions and create glossary of terms in multiple languages
  • Contextualize the results of the social indicators pilot
  • Identify technical assistance needs and identify funding sources
  • Develop system for verification of social indicators
  • Promote reporting of social indicators to the MIX

          March 2009 update: SPTF-090301-Social Indicators Working Group of the SPTF.doc

 

     3. Social Rating – led by Laura Foose and Cecile Lapenu, CERISE

  • Develop recommendations/criteria for social rating fund hosted by ADA.
  • SPTF chairs advisory committee of ADA rating fund – attends quarterly meetings to establish policies and rules for social rating co-funding.
  • Advance work on Social Rating Initiative - in terms of promotion of social audits and ratings to enhance transparency.
  • Develop recommendations for verification of social indicators on MIX

          March 2009 update: SPTF-090301-Social Rating Working Group of the SPTF.doc

 

     4. Social Investors - led by Alexia Latortue and Antonique Konig, CGAP

  • Outreach to social investors to communicate social performance in investor fora
  • Paris Investor Forum – June 19, 2008
  • SEEP Annual Meeting – November 5, 2008
  • European MF Platform - November 12, 2008
  • MF East Conference – January 29-30, 2009
  • SPTF Annual Meeting, Madrid - June 4, 2009
  • Agreement on a core set of social performance indicators that social investors/MIVs would ask of their MFI partners through due diligence, monitoring, and reporting.
  • Revising the MIV disclosure guidelines, to include ESG reporting information (Environment, Social, and Governance) and the Client Protection Principles.

          March 2009 update: SPTF-090301-Social Investors Working Group of the SPTF.doc

 

     5. Regional and National Network Meetings and Initiatives – led by Laura Foose and Kasia Pawlak

  • Develop/share information on mechanisms to communicate about SPM with MFIs and to develop the capacity of networks to advance SPM in their regions (For example: each of the networks sharing with the other networks how they have reached out to MFIs in their region, what services they provide to members on social performance, what lessons learned, etc)
  • Prepare basic package of materials and tools used for communicating about SPM with different audiences (like powerpoint presentation, newsletter articles, publicaitons, etc)
  • Use the networks to verify social performance information for the MIX
  • Develop a webpage to foster the exchange of ideas;
  • As a complementary measure to the meetings, establish permanent contact and information-exchange mechanisms. Prepare a directory with the networks' contact information (email, skype contact), including a description of their approach and achievements in SPM - FORO LAC FR to lead
  • Develop National Dossiers that will have the objective of systematizing achievements, experiences and lessons-learned in the application of social performance tools in each country, to subsequently systematize this information in a regional Dossier. -FORO LAC FR to lead for Latin America, MFC for Europe
  • Take regional dossiers and generate a global document; we could have a direct exchange to share these systematized experiences based on these documents.
  • Find donors to fund Regional SPTF meetings

          March 2009 update: SPTF-090301-Networks Working Group of the SPTF.doc

 

     6. Social Performance Management – led by Anton Simanowitz and Katherine Knotts (coordinates with SPM Network)

  • Create a technical assistance fund to provide needed resources to MFIs who wish to develop a SPM system in their organization. Social audit and rating tools identify areas for MFIs to improve their systems, and a technical assistance fund would support organizations to act on those recommendations.
  • Help MFIs know how to implement tools, adapted to needs (feedback loops) – use Forums (online, workshops) for sharing
  • Link SPM indicators to performance, help staff use and analyze data
  • Tap global expertise – find more opportunities to share experiences, detailed case studies, etc
  • Organize regional trainings

 

     7. Communications – led by Laura Foose, Katherine Knotts, Elizabeth Downs

  • Determine an appropriate future home, and the associated cost, for hosting the Social Performance Resource Center (SPRC) since the Microfinance Gateway is changing to “Hot Topics” format
  • Develop content for the Hot Topics Pages of the Microfinance Gateway
  • Update SPRC content on a regular basis
  • Develop SPM messaging for different audiences
  • Provide support to communicate work other SPTF working groups
  • Develop a forum for Executive Directors

          March 2009 update: SPTF-090424-Communications Working Group of the SPTF.doc

 

     8. Systematize Best Policies in Social Performance – led by AZMJ

  • Create a resource of best policies in social performance that can guide an organization's development of its own policies.

          March 2009 update: SPTF-090301-Draft SPM policies annex-indicators.doc

 

     9. Systematize Best Practices in Social Performance – (on hold until Best Policies subcommittee work complete as well as National Dossiers of SP information collected)

  • Discuss how to disseminate best practices knowledge regarding social performance tools.
  • Discuss and record how people have used social performance tools in Latin America – this is being done in the Networks subcommittee by FORO LAC FR

 

     10. Gender – led by Radhika Desai

  • Develop the sequence/logic of change of indicators for women's empowerment
  • Work closely with and learn from the recent work on gender empowerment Work closely with the MIX and social indicators subcommittee to develop a reporting system with different levels/depths of information on gender.

          March 2009 update:  work completed – input given to MIX for indicators

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SP Indicators Blog

The Social Performance Indicators Blog aims to serve as a platform for learning and exchange on topics related to social performance in microfinance. Each week we will address a different subject related to social performance measurement by interviewing relevant stakeholders, with the purpose of gaining a deeper understanding of how to assess the social performance of microfinance institutions (MFIs) and contributing to the need for information and greater transparency within the industry. www.spblog.org

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