Evaluation Clinic: Practical Evidence, Meaningful Impact

How do you show the difference your organisation makes without adding hours of data collection and reporting to an already busy workload?

This practical series of Evaluation Clinics gives community groups, charities and social enterprises dedicated space to work on their own evaluation systems in a supported group of peers.

You might want to develop a simple evaluation framework, improve how you report outcomes, plan proportionate data collection, or turn the evidence you already hold into a compelling impact report for funders and commissioners.

Through short introductions to practical tools, supported working time and peer discussion, you’ll develop your own approach, test it with others and identify realistic next steps.

• Keeping evaluation proportionate: deciding what you need to know and what is realistic to collect.
• Making better use of existing evidence: drawing on attendance records, feedback, case notes and other information you already hold.
• Measuring meaningful outcomes: moving beyond counting activities to understanding what changes for people.
• Telling an evidenced impact story: bringing together numbers, experiences and context to explain your contribution.
• Using findings: turning evidence into decisions, service improvements and stronger funding applications.

We’ll also consider how to be clear about what your evidence can—and cannot—tell you.

A substantial part of the clinic will be dedicated to your own challenge. Choose one manageable piece of work, such as:

• A draft evaluation framework for a project or service.
• A small set of useful outcomes and indicators.
• A data collection plan that fits your team’s capacity.
• An outline for an impact report or funder update.
• A clearer approach to using information you already collect.

You’ll have the opportunity to share your draft with peer organisations, receive constructive feedback and refine it.

The aim is to leave with a useful draft and clear next steps. You don’t need to arrive with a polished plan or finish an entire evaluation in one session.

Staff, volunteers and trustees from community groups, charities and social enterprises who want to gather and use evidence more effectively.

Whether you’re starting from scratch or improving an existing approach, bring a question you would like to work through.

Please bring a laptop if you have one, and anything relevant to your chosen challenge. This could include a project description, funding requirements, an existing reporting template, feedback questions or a previous impact report.

You can also come with just an idea or a problem. Please anonymise any examples containing personal or sensitive information.

• A brief introduction and sharing of participants’ challenges.
• Practical tools and examples.
• Supported time to work on your own material.
• Peer review and discussion.
• Time to refine your draft and agree next steps.

Event venue & nearby stays

The Edventure Hub Coworking Space, Park Hill Drive, Frome, United Kingdom

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.

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