project evaluation food for your future bids and backers fay blair
TRANSCRIPT
PROJECT EVALUATION Food for your future
bids and backers
FAY BLAIR
http://www.egemagazine.com
http://assets.wwf.org.uk/downloads/leadingforthefuture_evaluationreport.pdf
Activities - projects
Open daysEvents and FestivalsTemporary exhibition and displayGuided tours or walksVisits from schools and collegesOutreach sessions in schools and collegesOther on-site activitiesPublication or other information technology applicationsVolunteers and training aspectsLarge programmes, initiatives, projects & partnerships
Today’s highlights..
1. What we mean by ‘evaluation’
2. Highlight some tools, resources
3. Share some evaluation work anecdotes
What is evaluation?
Formative evaluation – reviews on the way to check what you are doing is on track
Summative evaluation – a report that compiles quantitative and qualitative evidence to tell the story of your project
It’s about capturing characteristicsFor your bids and backers = ‘proving’ and ‘improving’
Key elements of evaluation
What evaluation involves….
Templates and guides to help you
‘Tools for you’ by nef
http://www.neweconomics.org/publications/tools-you
Scoping activitiesProject plan & impact mapActivities & time recordingBaseline questionnairesExit surveysVolunteer time recordingOnline ‘Survey Monkey’
www.surveymonkey.netEnd of project forms Interviews, face to face
Evaluation of projects and programmes
A Year in the Life of Faversham - Evaluation
A visitor survey – for the exhibition over the Hop Festival 2010
Contributor & volunteer surveys – at the start of the project
Contributor & volunteer surveys - at the end
Written feedback with anecdotesSimple feedback forms with face-toface interviews
Designing the surveysRunning the surveysCollating the resultsAnalyzing the resultsDrawing findings and
conclusionsWriting the reportCreating the news headlines
Contributor expectations…baseline
‘It will raise public interest in the town, it's past, present and future‘
‘It will prompt people to care for it and its people (residents)’
‘I hope it will create more interest and pride in the locals of Faversham’
‘I hope will draw attract people from outside Faversham (to live, work, visit)’
‘That people will look at Faversham with a different eye and new artistic initiatives will be borne’
‘That this photographic concept can be extended and rolled out across Kent and the South East so more towns can be engaged with their history, present and all through the medium of photography’
‘To look back in 10-30 years' time with my children and remember this as part of our lives’
Visitor comment card feedback
I think for a town as small as Faversham it’s important to have projects like this running as well as other things, it gives us a sense of community, gives us a chance to get involved and it feels great if (like me) your photo gets chosen.
Doing a project like this helps me to explore my photography skills, and meet new people and look at our little town through different eyes.
I also think that a project like a year in the life if important not just for exploring my artistic side and documenting town life but to attract visitors to our town as well.
To sum up I think it’s a great idea I’m glad to have this exciting opportunity to take part in such an interesting community activity.
Leanda
Some headline results from the surveys
Many (70+) local people contributed, in excess of 425 volunteer hours, in different ways to make this community project happen, led by the team at Kent Creative Arts.
2,000+ visitors over the Hop Festival weekend (4-5 September) were logged at this exhibition; totalling in excess of 4,000 to the 12th September.
50% these were locals and the other half included regular visitors with some new tourists
The project appealed particularly to the older age groups (50+ years) but many family groups with young children also visited and enjoyed the exhibition.
Satisfaction and learning….
A very large proportion (88%) said the exhibition was ‘excellent’ (61%) or ‘very good’ (27%). Nobody said that they didn’t enjoy it all.
A significant proportion, over a third, either found out ‘a few new things’ (17%) and an additional number of respondents said they found out (18%) ‘lots of new things’.
Link to your promotion and marketing…..
Main reason for visiting Faversham: 90% for the Hop Festival
How did they find out about this event, AYITLOF?
25% - someone told me to visit 23% - leaflets and posters 23% - newspapers 18.5% - yellow banner outside 14% - I know someone involved 2.5% - website 2% - email 0.05% - Radio/TV
Why volunteers got involved in the project
78% ‘welcomed the reason/excuse to support something local and be a part of it’
78% ‘wanted to make it happen’ by ‘lending’ their support
74% were in the age range 35-65 66% got involved because ‘they enjoy
photography’, and ‘like taking photos’
66% liked ‘the focus on Faversham’63% were ‘involved in taking pictures in
2009’56% ‘wanted to get involved in
something fun but educational’
56% got involved as it was ‘very local and easy to take part in’
56% got involved because they ‘like heritage and finding out about the history of the town and surroundings’
53% like landscapes53% like looking at photos53% of the contributors/volunteers
(who responded) were female50% were involved as a helping
hand/volunteer in their own right in welcoming guests/invigilation
Capturing characteristics
About peopleAge group, gender, ethnic background, socio-economic group,
disability (Office of National Statistics Groupings)
About the ‘experience’Your expectations and their expectations, and how these were met
About what difference the project madeFeedback to relating to, for example, participation, conservation and learning (Heritage Lottery Fund)
Evaluation steps
Key aspects
THINKPLANDOREVIEW
What is the project’s aim? What do you want it to
achieve? Objectives Activities Outputs Outcomes
Scope out what you want to find out clearly, the kind of measures & questions
How is this going to happen? Who is going to help you?
Evaluation steps
Key aspects
THINKPLAN
DOREVIEW
Map out your project planActivities, things that need to
be done and whenHow to capture feedback -
counting, and what people sayTime and resources neededYour stakeholders Volunteers / paid helpers
Evaluation steps
Key aspects
THINKPLAN
DOREVIEW
Devising the feedback formsRunning the activitiesGathering the feedback
(surveys)Processing the data
informationDrawing some conclusionsDevising some headlinesPublicising key highlights
A simple feedback form
Establishing a baseline
Post event reflection
Evaluation steps
Key aspects
THINKPLANDO
REVIEW
Soft test any feedback forms before they go live
Insights – yours, your supporters, volunteers, key audience(s)
Review what were the key positives, went well, (and didn’t) & ideas for improvement, learning
