Outcomes & Need
Matthew Rowe
Big Lottery Fund
SMART Outcomes
Project Aim
• The project aim is the overall purpose of the project
• A project aim should be something that can be
achieved
• For example: To improve young people’s
involvement in the community
Project Outcomes
• What needs to change for the project to achieve
its aim?
• What difference will the project make for the
beneficiaries?
• Big Lottery Fund will ask projects to identify 3-5
outcomes
SMART Outcomes
Use words that indicate change like more, better,
increased, reduced, improved
Outcomes must be SMART: specific, measurable,
achievable, realistic and time-based
For example: 300 young people have increased their
fitness levels and enjoyed improved physical health
by 31 December 2012
Writing Outcomes
Your outcomes should answer the following questions
– Who will benefit?
– How will you know your project is making a difference?
– What is the change you intend to make?
For example: 25 local families with autistic children report
reduced stress as a result of respite opportunities by the end
of the second year
Outcomes Quiz
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Set up and advertise 10 training courses.
10 young people have reduced or stopped using drugs by the
end of the project
Run a befriending service for 150 disaffected young people
Build a village hall
25 older people report reduced isolation through volunteering
by the end of the project
15 low income families eat more fruit and vegetables
Recruit volunteers
The involvement of 100 residents in regular recycling and
environmental activities will result in refurbished green spaces
by the end of the project.
Project activities
• What will you do to bring about your planned
outcomes?
• What tasks and services will you carry out?
• Use doing words to describe your activities. For
example: provide, run, promote
• Example: Run a weekly evening circuit training class
for 20 young people during term time.
Aim
The overall
aim of your
project
Outcomes
The difference you intend to make for your
beneficiaries
Activities
What those working on your project will actually do, week
by week.
Aim
Young people
positively engaged
in the community
Outcome
Young people demonstrate improved
social skills, self confidence and
motivation
Activities
Community action days
Recruit and train young people as volunteers
Peer support for young people
Aim
Young people
positively engaged
in the community
SMART Outcome
By the end of the project, 300 young
people demonstrate improved social
skills, self-confidence and motivation as
a result of their involvement in the
organisation of 3 community action days.
Activities
Community action days
Recruit and train young people as volunteers
Peer support for young people
Milestones
• Milestone are steps along the way to achieving your
outcomes
• What do you hope to achieve, for how many people and by
when?
• Be realistic when estimating numbers
• SMART milestone example: 12 community re-cycling
events held by the end of the third year.
Exercise
•
Consider the scenario given to your group
•
2. Use the outcomes triangle and in your group decide
• a project aim
• 3-5 project SMART outcomes
• activities
Writing about need
What evidence can you use to prove there is a
need for your project?
What do we mean by need?
Big Lottery Fund’s mission statement:
‘To bring real improvements to communities and to the
lives of people most in need’
• What difficulties do people in the community face?
• Why do they face these difficulties?
• What needs to change to address this issue?
Why do you need to evidence
need?
• High demand for limited resources
• Prove your project will make a difference
• Prove that you haven’t presumed what the community
needs
• Prove that your project is the best way of addressing
the need identified – what are the alternatives?
• Prove that you understand the community and their
needs
What sources can you use to
evidence need?
• Strategies - generic and specialist
• Statistics and area or community profile
• Research (reports, surveys etc)
• Consultation and community involvement
What sources can you use to
evidence need?
• Other existing services/current provision (or lack of)
• Evaluation of existing services
• Letters of support
• Anecdotal evidence
Key principles
What should you consider when
referencing or carrying out research?
• Avoid using individual pieces of evidence in isolation
• Ask questions about the data you’re referencing to
determine if it is a reliable source
• Try to ensure research is not biased:
• Take care when wording questions and interpreting
data
• Ensure surveys and statistics are representative
How much evidence do you
need to provide?
First identify:
• the scale of the problem
• what capacity you have
As a minimum, you need to involve your stakeholders:
• stakeholder analysis - who are your key stakeholders?
• How do you involve them (incl. the ‘hard to reach’)?
Presenting your case
Group exercise
• Strengths and weaknesses?
• Excellent, Good, Satisfactory or Weak?
Some useful websites
- facts, figures and strategies
– Census statistics: www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk
– Community Health Profiles: www.communityhealthprofiles.info
– Association of Public Health Observatories: www.apho.org.uk
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Regional Observatories: www.regionalobservatories.org.uk
Government Offices: www.gos.gov.uk/national
10 Downing Street: www.number-10.gov.uk
Government Directory: www.direct.gov.uk
Big Lottery Fund is not responsible for the contents of external websites