The change in the financing system, moving from a supply-side model to a demand-side one (vouchers), adopted by many public policies in the European Union countries, opens the markets of social, health and education services to new producers. This constitutes a challenge for non profit organizations (NPOs), facing the necessity to demonstrate their capacity to respond to the users/clients (stakeholders) needs and at the same time their aptitude to represent them. Our hypothesis is that NPOs are characterized by two main features: the capacity to produce relational goods and their ability in generating social capital in the community. The article of Bassi aims to elaborate and to test a measurement tool for non profit organizations called SAV (Social Added Value) evaluation system. The data refer to 12 case studies of NPOs (six organizations of volunteers and six social cooperatives) acting in the welfare area. The article of Solci analyses the effects produced by relational goods in six family associations and in six self-help groups. It has been studied the relationship between the typology of relational goods produced and the efficacy of the association’s activities. The chapter of Prandini analyses five case studies of associations and social cooperatives involved in services for families, showing the generative mechanisms of social added value creation.
Keywords: Social Capital, Relational Good, Social Value Added, We-ness, Reflexivity, Multistakeholder