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