Speakers:Richard PiperStephen QuashieValue of Infrastructure Programme, NCVO

AM4The value of infrastructure #NCVOAC

A three year England-wide initiative to support infrastructure organisations to plan,

assess, improve and communicate their impact.

Show your value Why is it important that your organisation

communicates your value now?

What are the main challenges that you face in communicating your value effectively?

What main things have you done to communicate your value and how effective were they?

Impact

Impact / outcomes = the changes, benefits or other effects that happen to those you’re

working on behalf of or who use your services.

The difference we make in the world

Types of Impact

Start immediately after an intervention or be delayed

Last a very short time, a medium time, a long time

Be intermediate, leading to other end outcomes

Be unexpected as well as expected Be negative as well as positive

Focusing on impact

Keeps you engaged with your purpose and the needs of your beneficiaries

Tells you what’s working well and what can be improved

Increases others’ understanding of what you do Motivates and empowers workers and participants Improves reporting (for funders, boards, managers) Enables better decision making

Where is your organisation now on impact?

Red:- your organisation is not even talking about impact or outcomes, let alone evidencing, communicating and learning from them.

Amber:- you have talked about your impact/outcomes and you capture your outputs but have struggled to capture information about your impact. Your plans are not always focused on intended impact and you’re not always good at communicating the difference you make.

Green:- Your organisation knows a fair bit about impact and has found ways of capturing some evidence of outcomes and communicating your value. However, you want to see if there are ways of improving what you do.

6 Things to do with Impact

• Think impact

• Plan to create it (when defining your strategy)

• Deliver impact

• Assess impact

• Improve it – create more of it

• Communicate it – internally and externally

‘We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee.’

Marian Wright Edelman

A shared frameworkfor Infrastructure

Building a shared evidence base Planning your impact and services Collaborating with other providers Learning about what works Communicating your value

An impact framework is a representation of the difference your work makes

Infrastructure

Connect

Develop

Influence

Networking

Collaboration

Brokering

Representation

Promotion

Direct Support

Consultation

Information Advice

Guidance

Facilitating Learning

Infrastructure Functions

This functions map has been developed by National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) for the Value of Infrastructure Programme. It is based on PERFORM: the Outcomes Framework for Infrastructure. Also influenced by the ‘Engage, Develop, Influence’ Model of Infrastructure Function as developed by Growing up in the West Midlands (G:Up)

capable people

dynamic sector

strong organisations

supportive externalagencies

InfrastructureImpacts

VIP Impact Framework

Impact levels

capable people

dynamic sector

strong organisations

supportive externalagencies

Income

Strategy

Learning

Leadership and Governance

People

Managing resources

Communications

Creating impact

Sector income

Sector strategy

Cross sector learning

Sector leadership

People

Sector resources

Sector Communications

Sector-wide impact

Financial Support

Commissioning Practices, Funding mechanisms

People and Resources

Roles and Responsibilities

Creating Impact, Meeting Needs,supporting Innovation

Communication and Consultation

attitudes and perspectives

knowledge and skills

behaviours

networks and relationships

InfrastructureImpacts

VIP Impact Framework

VIP Principles

Growing impact is even more important than showing it

Contribution not attribution Evidence not proof Impact is a leadership issue, not a measurement

issue Impact assessment works best when it fits quietly into

day-to-day working practices rather than being a burdensome extra

Audiences

• Funders• Beneficiaries• Other infrastructure organisations• Other providers of support• Staff• Trustees• Local and Central Government – policymakers,

heads of services, commissioners etc…• Local Strategic Partnerships• Community Councils• Business• General Public

Communicating Impact

• People don’t read reports

• Remember who your audience is

• Summarise and focus

• Consider different media

• Pictures and words

• Stats and stories

• Quotes

• Communicate to beneficiaries as well as funders

Key stakeholder questions

• Who do you want to communicate with?

• How do you want them to change?

• What contact do you have with them? (will this need to change?)

• What are their information needs and preferences?

Information Trail

Look at the range of information that you have

• Stats and stories

• Research

• Case studies

• Information from funders

The value of infrastructure

• The benefits of a shared approach• The impact framework for infrastructure• Some evidence is far better than no

evidence.• Tell stories which capture what’s most

important.• Communicating impact is an art

VIP Package

Access and use of VIP tools online until 2014

2 VIP training coursesEvidencing ImpactVIP online

Opportunity to work with other infrastructure organisations in learning clusters

External AgencyCase StudyTemplate

External Agency

Dial

External Agency

Interview

SectorCase Study Template

SectorDial

Action and Review Grid

Survey of Sector Organisations

People Questions

Internal Organisation

Survey

Organisation Case Study Template

Organisation Dial

VIP Tools

11 Tools to mix and match

The difference between the readings

Shows how much progress has been

made

VIP Dials

descriptors

VIP programme will also be:

Facilitating opportunities to work with other infrastructure organisations in learning clusters

Placing the learning about the impact of infrastructure into the national discussions around civil society.

Informing funders about the value of infrastructure

VIP Training

The set of tools looks fantastic -really looking forward to using them.

Especially like the info on a common framework- for our story – brilliant!

Great to learn something new in a timely, succinct and professional manner.

To find out more Web: www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/vipEmail: vip@ncvo-vol.org.ukCall: 020 7520 2445.