New Delhi, July 16, 2025: Astrum, India’s first science-based specialist reputation advisory, has introduced two new tools — the Social Impact Index™ (SII) and Social Impact Focus (SIF) Framework — aimed at helping companies shift their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy from transactional compliance to transformational community impact.
The tools were launched following Astrum’s national CSR study titled “From Transaction to Transformation: New Rules for Effective CSR in the 21st Century”, which gathered insights from more than 2,000 stakeholders including CSR leaders, NGOs, government officials, and community members.
The report highlighted the need for a strategic shift in corporate giving, identifying four key changes: moving from compliance to commitment, from scattershot to strategic investments, from statistics to storytelling, and from reach to measurable results.
Sharada Adhikari Sharma, Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer at Astrum, said, “What struck us most in our study was the disconnect between corporate investment and actual community transformation. We found that organizations 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 organizations 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 organizations achieve it.”
The two proprietary tools include:
- Social Impact Focus (SIF) Framework: A planning tool that helps companies identify and align their CSR efforts with community needs, national development goals, and their own organizational values.
- Social Impact Index™ (SII): A measurement and tracking system that evaluates the effectiveness of CSR programmes and identifies areas for improvement, enabling companies to move beyond superficial metrics.
The tools are designed to support businesses in making their CSR investments more strategic, transparent, and outcome-driven.
Astrum, founded by Ashwani Singla in 2015, provides research-based strategic communications and reputation management services, with a presence across major cities in India and a global network in over 30 countries.
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