Measuring what matters to co-ops and mutuals – introducing the Mutual Value Measurement Framework©
One of the greatest challenges for cooperatives and mutuals is to be able to quantify and articulate the value that your businesses create. Often the financial metrics of corporate success are not easily applied when there is a mutual business purpose.
One of the greatest challenges for cooperatives and mutuals is to be able to quantify and articulate the value that your businesses create. Often the financial metrics of corporate success are not easily applied when there is a mutual business purpose.
That’s why our Australian sister entity the Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals (BCCM) teamed up with researchers at Monash University and the co-op and mutual sector to find a new way of measuring the positive impact on members, customers, the community, and the economy – the Mutual Value Measurement Framework© (MVM).
The framework can be used by cooperatives and mutuals of different sizes across different industries and for different purposes. It is the first methodology for impact measurement designed with and by co-ops and mutuals, and the world’s first accredited framework for measuring this total value. It helps co-ops, mutuals and member-owned firms articulate their mutual value through a set of common dimensions and shared language.
Incorporating MVM© into your business can help you realise the total mutual value you create, leading to measurable business and member benefits. By viewing the organisation through the lens of mutual value, co-ops and mutuals can systematically identify, measure and report on the value they create.
Businesses that have used the Mutual Value Framework© have integrated it into a wide range of vital activities, deploying it to:
link business purpose to operations
enhance strategic review
align Board and executive priorities
build a communications narrative
improve performance management systems
align employees within the business
improve member relationships
improve marketing messaging
enhance ESG and corporate reporting.
Achieving accreditation and the right to use the Mutual Value Mark is an acknowledgment of your strong commitment to the ongoing promotion and creation of mutual value for your members and your community. We are proud to partner with the BCCM on the launch of this framework into New Zealand– one of our International Year of Cooperatives 2025 initiatives.
Watch our launch webinar and get in touch to find out how MVM could benefit your co-op or mutual.
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