THE NATIONAL
FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Quantifying the social impact of the NFL’s Salute to Service program.
Impact Programs
Measurement
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THE CHALLENGE
There is a rising interest in the social approach and quantification of purposeful initiatives across various sporting entities.
The NFL’s Salute to Service initiative is the League’s year-round effort to honor, empower, and connect with United States service members, veterans, and their families. It is grounded in deep partnerships with military and veteran support organizations which include the Bob Woodruff Foundation (BWF), Pat Tillman Foundation (PTF), Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), United Service Organizations (USO), and Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP). Since 2011, the NFL has raised more than $58 million for its Salute to Service partners.
As part of the their commitment to driving positive social impact through its assorted social good initiatives, the NFL commissioned Substance—a research and technology company that equips sports organizations with the knowledge and insights they need to improve their positive impact—and our team to conduct a Social Return on Investment (SROI) study on Salute to Service, helping them quantify the difference they are making through a robust and complete picture of the initiative’s social value.
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OUR SOLUTION
Through the SROI study, we were able to glean the social value created by the NFL through Salute to Service and measure it against its stated objectives. We provided insights and strategic direction to help adjust the initiative to drive greater impact and more efficiently tell its impact story.
As part of our measurement process, we hosted a collaborative design sprint with NFL stakeholders to develop a Theory of Change, focusing on intended outcomes and key impact indicators for Salute to Service. Based on this Theory of Change, we identified KPIs to best measure the social value for society that the NFL has created for military and veteran support.
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17 sport’s role
01
02
KPI identification and development
End-to-end management of SROI measurement
THE IMPACT
We designed this SROI to improve Salute to Service’s effectiveness in two ways: first, by assisting the NFL in supporting the change they want to deliver, and second, by working with the NFL’s Salute to Service partners to ensure the changes are being generated. The study helped the NFL understand how to adjust program inputs and resource investment to maximize real world impact.
Our findings have allowed the NFL to share the deeper story about the difference in the world the Salute to Service initiative and its partners are making for veterans and active United States military members and their families.
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