Measuring Impact - Nicva

28 Measuring Impact – Case-studies of impact assessment
Methodology 5.2
5.2.1 Identifying the system
A Single Regeneration Budget (SRB) funded regeneration partnership, based in East London,
was chosen for a number of reasons. The partnership provided an opportunity to look at
joint working, relationships between organisations and collective impact, as well as the
impact on other organisations and sectors. The grass-roots nature of many of the projects
funded by the SRB scheme meant that there was a high degree of community involvement,
while the small geographical area made the interview process more manageable.
Three SRB funded projects selected for study
Biodiversity: a project that aims to make ecological and visual improvements to the waterways
in East London, run by Lea Rivers Trust, a voluntary organisation with paid staff and a
team of volunteers.
The Lansbury Festival: a one-off arts festival and architectural conference that took place
on the Lansbury estate in East London in the spring/summer of 2001. Leaside Regeneration
Ltd., the administrative body for the whole partnership, co-ordinated the project.
Racial Tolerance: a programme of youth work (including workshops in schools, an evening
youth group, and a football tournament organised by Leyton Orient Football Club)
addressing issues of racial tension, co-ordinated by a local youth worker.
Three projects funded by the partnership were selected for in-depth study (see shaded box
above). The projects selected were either run by a voluntary organisation (the Biodiversity
project), or have a strong reliance on volunteers or community involvement (the Lansbury
Festival and the Racial Tolerance youth work). Projects were either complete or in progress.
They all had a strong connection with the local community.
All three projects monitor their progress using a set of predetermined indicators and submit
monitoring reports on a quarterly basis. The indicators cover particular types of impact, such as
numbers of volunteers, numbers of local residents consulted, and amount of matched funding
levered in. Therefore, the approach adopted by this study complements the measurement of
these more easily identifiable outputs and outcomes already carried out by the projects.
How does this study address gaps in existing approaches
Collective impact: Looking at linked projects means that it is possible to explore how
impact was achieved by working in conjunction with other projects, and whether any additional,
collective impact was achieved through collaboration.
Unanticipated impact: The loosely structured style of interview offers the greatest
possible opportunity for identifying impacts not anticipated or planned by the organisation,
which may include negative impacts. Interviewees were able to talk freely about their
perceptions of the impact of the projects.Thinking about a project as part of a system or
network means that a broader range of “impactees” can be identified.
Long-term impact: It was hoped that the use of a system or network approach would
provide a good basis for measuring or identifying long-term impact.