SP Task Force
Overview
In March 2005, CGAP, the Argidius Foundation, and the Ford Foundation brought together leaders from various social performance initiatives in the microfinance industry to come to agreement on a common social performance framework and to develop an action plan to move social performance forward. Two working groups were formed as a result of this meeting: a Social Performance Task Force and a CGAP Donor Working Group on Social Performance.
Today, the Social Performance Task Force (SPTF) consists of over 1,500 members from all over the world and every microfinance stakeholder group: practitioners, donors and investors (multilateral, bilateral, and private), global, regional, and national associations, technical assistance providers, rating agencies, academics and researchers, regulators, and others. Day-to-day operations of the Task Force are run by the SPTF Secretariat, while a 15-member Board of Directors with representatives from all major stakeholder groups provides strategic leadership and oversight.
The SPTF defines social performance as the effective translation of a microfinance organization's mission into practice in line with commonly accepted social values such as:
- Serving increasing numbers of poorer and more excluded people sustainably.
- Improving the quality and appropriateness of financial services available to target clients through systematic assessment of their specific needs.
- Creating benefits for clients of microfinance, their families and communities in terms of: increasing social capital, assets, income, and access to services; reducing vulnerability; and fulfilling basic needs.
- Improving the social responsibility of the MFI towards its clients, its employees and the community it serves.
Vision:
Social performance management is standard business practice and considered fundamental to achieving the social promise of microfinance.
Mission:
To engage with microfinance stakeholders to develop, disseminate and promote standards and good practices for social performance management and reporting.
The SPTF will achieve this by:
- Providing a platform for dialogue, learning and collaboration
- Facilitating engagement and advocacy across the industry at all levels – practitioners, networks, support agencies, donors, investors, regulatory authorities
- Working toward setting industry standards for social performance management, measurement, monitoring, reporting and training
- Promoting good practices and demonstrated success of MFIs engaged in social performance management
- Gathering quality evidence and research to demonstrate the business case for social performance management.
Further information on the Social Performance Task Force: