Cultured monitoring and evaluation – getting it right
Steven Marwick
Evaluation Support Scotland
Who we are
• Steven Marwick, Evaluation Support Scotland
• Fiona Campbell, Voluntary Arts Scotland
• Fiona Rogan, Scottish Community Drama Association (and serial volunteer!)
Evaluation Support Scotland
We provide specialist support to voluntary organisations and funders to enable them to evaluate and learn and so provide better services for communities.
• Website and resources• Workshops• Tailored support• Partnership with others
• What is evaluation?
• What stops it happening?
• How do we get it right?
What do you think?
And what do you know?!
Starting point
1= not really 4 = yes definitely
1. Evaluation is important to my organisation.
2. We know what difference we are trying to make.
3. We collect information about what difference we are making.
4. We take time to analyse and report that information.
What is evaluation?
Evaluation is a process of asking questions
gathering evidence
analysing it
being prepared to act on the results.
It’s easy!!
Serious stuff • Lack of skills, capacity and time to evaluate -
voluntary orgs, funders, policy makers.• Evaluation seen as someone else’s job.• Outcomes can be tough to express
and to measure.• Some organisations don’t collect • the right information.• Few take time to analyse it.• We are confused by the language.• The products of evaluation
often not used for learning.
M&E
• Collecting output info
• Collecting outcome info
• Analysing output info
• Analysing outcome info
And LEARNING!
Outcomes!
Outcomes are the changes or difference you want to make through your services or
activitiesSkillsKnowledgeBehaviourFeelingsCondition (health, environment)
The science bit• OutCOMEs are the changes and
differences come out of your activities.
• OutPUTs are the activities or services you put on for your users.
• Inputs are the resources you need to do the work: money, people, time, premises, equipment.
Input output outcome impact
Singalong event
What difference or changes should I hope to make?
• To learn more about music• To improve your ability to sing• To meet new people• To have a good time
These are outcomes!
I nput Output Short term outcomes
Medium outcomes
Longer term outcomes
Vol’teers Music Conductor
Nos of people who sang A concert?
Learn more about music
Improved singing ability
Meet new people
Have a good time
Continued participation in music
Increased confidence
Improved social networks
More volunteering
More creative Scotland
Less isolation, more engage’mt
Collective confidence
Whose outcomes?
For example – Bill joins a running club:
• To get better at running? (excellence)• To get fitter? (health)• To reduce isolation? (inclusion)• To stop me getting into trouble? (crime)
Participants’ views matter.
Where are the outcomes?
• From participants (and audience?)
• Observation
• Third parties
• Research / stats
Making evaluation part of the performance
• What do we collect already?
• Is this evidence of outcomes or outputs?
• What new information do we need?
• How can we build information gathering into activities?
• How can we make it creative?
• Are we able to learn?
Fiona Campbell, Voluntary Arts Scotland
Fiona Rogan, Scottish Community Drama Association
In conclusion …
• Evaluation matters!
• It’s about learning
• It should be as creative and participative as our practice
• It’s not just numbers
Review
Never B flat
Never B sharp
Always B natural
Questions for us
Questions for you
1.What evaluation does your do and what do you use evaluation for?
2.Do you encourage organisations you fund to use evaluation for learning and development?
3.Are the evaluation methods and systems we have in place currently fit for purpose. If not, what would improve things?