Science-based specialist reputation advisory Astrum has launched two tools aimed at helping organisations deliver higher returns on their CSR investments and to drive meaningful, measurable social change. The Social Impact Index™ (SII) and Social Impact Focus (SIF), proprietary tools, are now available to clients seeking to transform their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives from compliance-driven activities to catalysts for sustainable community transformation.

The launch follows the release of Astrum’s study of the CSR landscape in India titled ‘From Transaction to Transformation: New Rules for Effective CSR in the 21st Century’ on June 26, 2025. The study gathered insights from over 2,000 stakeholders across India, including senior CSR leaders, NGOs, grassroots workers, government officers (BDOs) and community members.

Key Insights: The Big Shifts Corporates Must Make

1. From Compliance to Commitment: Make social impact part of your business DNA
2. From Scattershot to Strategic: Align your CSR focus to a clear issue and stay the course.
3. From Reach to Results: Invest in measurement, transparency, and learning.
4. From Statistics to Stories: Showcase real-life transformation, not just numbers.

Says Sharada Adhikari Sharma, Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer, Astrum, “What struck us most in our study was the disconnect between corporate investment and actual community transformation,” adding, “We found that organisations often measure outputs rather than outcomes – counting the number of schools built rather than the educational impact achieved. Our Social Impact tools shift this paradigm by helping organisations understand that true social impact is about how deeply you engage with and transform the communities you serve. Our study shows that the appetite for transformation exists – what was missing was a science-based framework to help organisations achieve it.”

Download a copy of the report here.