What is Social Good?

What Is Social Good and Why It Matters Now

In a world shaped by economic uncertainty and deepening disparity, the need to create more social good has never been more urgent.

Yet the term itself is rarely defined with any clarity. It is used loosely, sometimes interchangeably, along with terms such as impact or value. Is it time to redefine how we refer to the work of different sectors and organisations in this space?

How We Define Social Good

Here at Resolute Purpose, we define social good as a broad set of values and behaviours that strengthen civil society and expand opportunity. It encompasses know how on how to create community action, nurture philanthropic investment and unlock social mobility and creates an open culture where people and places to thrive.

In November 2025, the UK Government signalled a shift in approach by bringing many of these strands together under a new Office for the Impact Economy. After years of sidestepping the issue, this is a welcome move, particularly at a time of economic pressure. The work to produce the first comprehensive review of its kind (for a generation) deserves recognition with multiple partners involved.

This relatively quietly announced change has the potential to unlock more place-based funding and better outcomes for communities that are too often unheard or overlooked. But success will depend on whether this ambition translates into visible, lived impact. Social good must be felt by the people and places that have long been left behind, not simply articulated in policy documents.

This moment also comes as the country approaches key elections, when the national mood is likely to become clearer. If trust in public institutions is fragile, we argue that delivery, not rhetoric, will matter most. It is important the impact economy is therefore aligned around this shift.

Measuring Impact

Impact is a term utilised in corporate circles. It refers to the actions, investments and policy interventions that deliver real benefit to the greatest number of people. It is about improving quality of life, reducing inequality, increasing social mobility and building resilience, especially for those who have historically been excluded.

Impact is rarely instant. It takes time to see the results of better public health, decent social housing, inclusive regeneration or businesses that align their success with the prosperity of the places they operate in.

There are many strong examples of social good already happening across the country, but they are often obscured by negative headlines. Part of our role is to make these stories more visible, because progress does not always shout the loudest and good news falls between the cracks.

How Do We Measure The Value?

In recent years, large organisations have increasingly adopted the language of social value. Social value refers to how organisations measure and evidence the wider benefits they create beyond delivering a product or service.

In the UK, it is a formal and legally recognised concept, embedded in public procurement, commissioning and investment frameworks. It provides a practical way to account for social, environmental and economic outcomes, and plays a significant role in how the public sector approaches partnerships.

This focus has become even more important considering past failures in accountability, including the awarding of large public contracts without competitive processes. Measurement matters. Transparency matters. But we argue that social value alone is not enough.

How Social Good Brings It All Together

Social good supports the delivery of value and impact: it is about connection, community and culture. It must be embedded in how organisations at all levels of society operate, not added on at the end. It must also come from the communities that these organisations serve and be embraced by the leaders of the organisation.

At its core is a simple truth: doing good matters to people. It is part of our social contract with each other and with the places we live in.

Drawing on the thinking of Peter F. Drucker, social good is measured not by intent, but by behaviour. It is visible in how organisations use power, deploy capital and accept accountability. Charitable giving, volunteering and community involvement are not optional extras. They are essential components of high performing, resilient economies.

On the road to successful delivery, the Office for Impact Economy will need to prioritise outcomes over rhetoric and position business and government as stewards of public value rather than narrators of good intentions.

The UK Context: Place, Disparity and Demand

Across the UK, the demand for social good is inseparable from questions of place, identity and economic disadvantage. After years of austerity, the uneven impacts of Brexit and the long recovery from COVID, many communities feel overlooked and underfunded. There is a disconnect between what people voted for and what they see on their streets.

Despite repeated promises of levelling up, inequality remains stark. Where you are born still shapes your life chances. Philanthropy, local leadership and public private partnerships have always had an important role to play but increasingly the impact economy provides an opportunitiy for organisations to access alternative funding to enhance the services they provide to people and places. But many of them are not good at pivoting.

Devolution offers genuine opportunity. Combined authority mayors now have greater power to drive growth aligned with local priorities. But funding is limited, and competition is real. In this context, the role of social good is to ensure these new powers are used boldly and inclusively, supporting ideas and causes that might otherwise be sidelined.

Public scepticism is high. Photo opportunities with men in suits and policy buzzwords will not win trust. Delivery will.

Social Impact Must Be Cross Sector

Too often, social good is treated as the responsibility of charities and the voluntary sector alone. These organisations are already under immense pressure and doing much of the heavy lifting.

Anchor institutions, cultural organisations and universities are navigating new priorities which means they need to work differently and in partnership. If social good is to scale up, leadership must now come from across a more diverse group of organisations and voices. And of course, move investment is needed.

That includes input from:

• Businesses that align profit with purpose
• Investors who prioritise long term resilience over short term gain
• Funders willing to support systemic, place-based change
• A new generation of civic minded leaders who represent their individual skills set in the civic minded space they work across.

What binds all of this together is intention. Impact does not happen by accident. It must be designed, measured and delivered with communities, not for them.

A Call to Action

Social good is not abstract. It is a practical place-based solution.  It is 100 per cent achievable.

Through digital storytelling, fundraising and stakeholder engagement, we are committed to demystifying social good and scaling what works. Communities must be heard, supported and invested in if we are to build a more prosperous and inclusive future.

Now is the moment to be clear. Social good is not optional. It is foundational.

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Editorial Footnote: This article was originally edited in May 2025 and updated in January 2026 following updates from the UK Government.