Impact round-up: December 2018

Welcome to our final impact round-up for 2018. Each month at NCVO Charities Evaluation Services we summarise the latest news in impact and evaluation and share useful guides, resources and data collection tools.

#YouMadeItHappen

NCVO, together with partners, launched #YouMadeItHappen campaign on Monday 19 November to demonstrate the impact of the voluntary sector. This social media campaign urges charities to share stories thanking supporters and showing them the difference they have made. On Twitter alone, #YouMadeItHappen reached 5.4 million people and was tweeted or re-tweeted from nearly 10,000 accounts.

Data4Good conference 2018

The first ever Data4Good conference took place in Birmingham on 14 November, bringing together a wide range of data practitioners from the voluntary sector. NCVO partnered with NPC to deliver a session on ‘Data and evidencing impact for beginners’ and with Pro Bono Economics for ‘Data and evidencing impact (advanced)’. Throughout the day, we learned that:

• we’re all data people. Whether you’re a practitioner, in senior management, or if you directly handle data every day, we all live in a world where decisions are increasingly driven by what we learn from our data.
• we can all benefit from better data. Small and large organisations feel equally passionate and driven to be data-smart, be responsible in handling information, and to make the most of their analysis. This is not just responding to external pressure, but a genuine recognition of the ways the sector can deliver greater impact.
• creativity is all around us. The conference was filled with innovative ways to capture, store, analyse, and present data – often cheaply. Help is available from non-profit support organisations and consultants and from voluntary sector peers in spaces like the Data4Good conference.

To find out more about the day and to see when the next Data4Good will happen, visit the conference website.

A digital code of practice for charities launched

NCVO has been working with a wide consortium of charities and membership organisations that service the voluntary sector to develop the UK’s first digital code of practice for charities. The code provides an overview of the main areas that charities need to be aware of in digital, and provides practical advice on improving their digital capabilities. It includes seven guiding principles such as ensuring charity leaders are committed to improving digital capabilities, and that service users and stakeholders are involved.

New tool to assess interventions in homelessness

The Centre for Homelessness Impact has developed a tool to help the sector make more confident decisions using the best available evidence for homelessness interventions. The tool provides one-page overviews for each of the main interventions in homelessness. It gives ratings for how reliable the body of evidence is, how effective the intervention is and what kind of impact it has for people experiencing homelessness.

A framework of outcomes for young people 2.0

The Centre for Youth Impact has completed the final draft of the revised Outcomes Framework for Young People and are actively seeking feedback on the document. They are also in process of producing a user guide and training package for practitioners that will sit alongside the framework. The refresh of the original 2012 Framework of Outcomes for Young People has been commissioned by the Local Government Association.

On the blogs and social media

• We regularly support trusts, foundations and commissioners who provide funding to organisations and want to get better at assessing the outcomes and impact of the projects they fund. Our lead consultant, Shehnaaz Latif has written a blog for Inspiring Impact on good impact practice for funders.
• A blog for What Works Centre for Wellbeing discusses the patterns and common drivers of wellbeing through childhood, adulthood and later years.
• A blog in the Third Sector magazine by Clare Laxton, associate director for policy and influencing at Clic Sargent discusses owning up to failure.

Training and events

NCVO provides training and events covering a range of topics, from impact to governance, volunteer management and data protection reform – with discounts for NCVO members (not a member? Find out more).

Here’s what’s coming up in 2019:

• Outcome and impact measurement – 16 January
• Project management – 17 and 18 January
• Assessing impact of your volunteers – 18 January
• Developing your theory of change – 18 January
• Good practice in volunteering management (Birmingham) – 22 January
• Outcome and impact measurement (two days) – 7 and 8 February
• Collecting outcome and impact data – 11 February
• Better outcome and impact reporting – 26 February

We can also come to you. Our courses can be delivered at your venue, providing an affordable way to train groups of staff, trustees or volunteers. Contact us for more information.

Happy holidays to everyone!