The National Lottery Community Fund Scotland learning support for grantholders is run by Evaluation Support Scotland (ESS) on behalf of The National Lottery Community Fund in Scotland from November 2017 to 2020
Evaluation Support Scotland (ESS) is delivering free learning and self-evaluation support to a range of National Lottery Community Fund grantholders in Scotland from November 2017 to 2020.
What difference will this support make to me as a National Lottery Community Fund grantholder?
Learning and self-evaluation will help you tell the story of your impact to funders and help you improve and deliver even better work.
Grantholders will be better able to:
- self-evaluate their work
- use learning to improve delivery
- demonstrate the difference they are making and
- share their learning with others.
What support is on offer?
Grantholders can take up a range of support such as:
1-1 tailored support:
This is a face to face meeting tailored to grantholder specific needs such as:
- identifying and creating evaluation methods and tools that fit your work
- making sense of feedback and data for learning and reports
- embedding evaluation and involving the people you work with.
Let’s Evaluate! workshops
There are three workshops that grantholders can attend (one, two or all three) of the following workshops:
Getting Started
- clarifying the difference you want to make and what you need to evaluate
Make to Measure
- choosing the right evaluation methods and tools and developing a plan
Telling My Story
- analysing data collected, using analysis for learning and reporting.
Online resources
Webinars
Evaluating in a time of change – webinar
This practical peer learning webinar is specifically targeted to third sector organisations or teams who are continuing to deliver during the Covid-19 pandemic and are facing change or challenges to their evaluation.
Outcomes everywhere but which are mine? – webinar
This webinar will give you lots of ideas about how to make sense of different levels of outcomes and how to map them on to each other.
Help! I’ve got stuck with my evaluation! – webinar
Ever felt stuck with your evaluation? There is help at hand. Watch this webinar to help you get unstuck!
Stats and stories – webinar
This webinar talks through how to blend quantitative and qualitative data i.e. stats and stories in your evaluation reports.
Getting ready to report – webinar
In this webinar we talk through some of the factors to consider when reporting on your impact.
Fit for purpose – webinar
In this webinar we talk through some of the factors to consider when choosing appropriate evaluation tools.
Making it stick – webinar
This webinar talks about how to embed evaluation into your organisation, the challenges and barriers.
Workbooks
Workbooks cover the key information given at workshops and include exercises to work through. These can be used in addition to attending a workshop or instead of workshops.
You can also access our resources here including method sheets and tools and our evaluation support guides.
More learning
Young people taking the lead on evaluation
This learning event in April 2019 was supported by The National Lottery Community Fund.
Messages about evaluation – from grantholders, for other grantholders
The National Lottery Community Fund, the Robertson Trust and Corra Foundation are working with Evaluation Support Scotland (ESS) to provide learning and self-evaluation support for grantholders in Scotland. We brought
In the video below Martin Cawley, Scotland Director, Big Lottery Fund, talks about the importance of providing opportunities for grantholders to learn from each other.
Crisis to Recovery Case Studies – adapting and evaluating during Covid-19
In 2020 Evaluation Support Scotland (ESS) supported eight projects affected by the COVID-19 crisis to evaluate and learn about their response to the crisis. The aim of this support was to strengthen their response and their recovery, by improving what they do or guiding future plans and strategies. This work was supported by the National Lottery Community Fund.
Crisis to Recovery Case Study: Alternatives Dundee
Alternatives Dundee share their learning about adapting and evaluating their work during the COVID-19 crisis.
Crisis to Recovery Case Study: Eat Well Age Well
Eat Well Age Well share their learning about adapting and evaluating their work during the COVID-19 crisis.
Crisis to Recovery Case Study: Forres Area Community Trust (FACT)
Forres Area Community Trust (FACT) share their learning about adapting and evaluating their work during the COVID-19 crisis.
Crisis to Recovery Case Study: Home Start West Lothian
Home Start West Lothian share their learning about adapting and evaluating their work during the COVID-19 crisis.
Crisis to Recovery Case Study: Kingdom Off Road Motorcycle Club
Kingdom Off Road Motorcycle Club share their learning about adapting and evaluating their work during the COVID-19 crisis.
Crisis to Recovery Case Study: The Positive Steps Project at The Moira Anderson Foundation
The Positive Steps project at The Moira Anderson Foundation share their learning about adapting and evaluating their work during the COVID-19 crisis.
Crisis to Recovery Case Study: Women’s Aid South Lanarkshire (WASLER)
Women’s Aid South Lanarkshire (WASLER) share their learning about adapting and evaluating their work during the COVID-19 crisis.
Why evaluate? Covid-19 learning
In June 2020 we ran a series of ‘Why Evaluate’ peer-learning web events to help organisations evaluate in challenging times. The seminar series was supported by The National Lottery Community Fund Scotland, and was part of the Inspiring Impact UK-wide programme.
Check out our infographic that captures learning from the seminar series, as well as mini-case studies from participants in the links below:
Why Evaluate? Learning from COVID-19 event series
In these difficult times, it’s even more important that evaluation is easy and useful. Following our highly popular “Evaluating in a Time of Change” web event on 12 May we ran a series
Mini-case study: Evaluating and adapting as you go
In this mini-case study, Liz Gibson from Fife Employment Access Trust shares how she has adapted her evaluation in response to the changes her organisation has made to their activities during lockdown.
Mini-case study: Using social media for evaluation
In this mini-case study, Laura Kearney from PLUS shares how she and her colleagues are learning from evaluation.
Mini-case study: Getting your team on board with recording and analysing
In this mini-case study, Joe McConnell from Crossroads Youth & Community Association shares how he has adapted his evaluation in response to the changes his organisation has made to their activities during lockdown.
Mini-case study: Learning from doing things differently
In this mini-case study, Callum Wilkinson from Soil Association Scotland shares how he and his colleagues are learning from evaluation.
Mini-case study: Learning from unexpected outcomes
In this mini-case study, Sara McHaffie from Amina Muslim Women’s Resource Centre shares how she and her colleagues are learning from evaluation.
Mini-case study: Learning from unexpected outcomes
In this mini-case study, Rachel Sutherland from East & Central Sutherland Citizens Advice Bureau shares how she and her colleagues are learning from evaluation.
Mini-case study: Learning from doing things differently and using social media
In this mini-case study, Margarita Sweeney-Baird from Inclusive Skating shares how she and her colleagues are learning from evaluation.
Blogs
Blog
How to make sure evaluation is useful and used
ESS Director Steven Marwick talks about learning from a How’s it Going? session with NLCF and The Robertson Trust funders and grantholders.
Blog
Developing evaluation culture in your organisation- a challenge worth taking on!
Louise Bowen, Knowledge and Networks Officer at Evaluation Support Scotland gives tips on how to get people on board with evaluation
ESS guest blogs on TNLF website
Involving young people to lead on evaluation – Nicola Swan, ESS Evaluation Support Manager, writes about encouraging young people to get involved – or even take charge – of evaluation
Funders really DON’T just want numbers – honest! – Nicola Swan, ESS Evaluation Support Manager, talks about what funders really want to be told from funded organisations reporting on their work
Facing the fear of evaluation – Martha Lester-Cribb, ESS Senior Evaluation Support Manager, shares her top tips for making self-evaluation less scary
How to get support?
If you are interested in accessing learning support please contact your Funding Officer at The National Community Lottery Fund Scotland. All support is free of charge to the grantholder. Once a referral has been made, the ESS team will discuss your support needs with you and agree how best to meet them.
Learning and self-evaluation support is not mandatory but is an opportunity to learn more about how your organisation and the service you deliver is working.
Related resources
Creating an evaluation plan
ESS Evaluation Support Manager Nicola Swan talks about why having an evaluation plan is useful and how to make one.
How to write an outcome
Shona Wells, ESS Training Officer, talks you through writing an outcome in one minute!
What is an outcome?
Training Officer Shona Wells explains what outcomes are in one minute!
What is an indicator?
Grace Robertson, Training Officer at Evaluation Support Scotland explains indicators in less than one minute!
Working out what to measure: Setting indicators
Training Officer Grace Robertson talks through what to measure and setting indicators for evaluation in less than one minute!
Choosing the right evaluation methods
Shona Wells, Training Officer at Evaluation Support Scotland talks about what to consider in order to choose the best evaluation method to use for measuring your indicators.
ESS Support Guide 4b Reflective practice
In this support guide there are suggestions of tools to prompt your reflective practice.
Why bother involving people in evaluation? – Beyond feedback
This workbook can help you plan why, when and how to involve the people you work with in evaluation
Funders and Funded Relationships Case Study: Adapting project outcomes if things don’t initially work out (CHANGES Community Health Project)
Shows how a learning approach can mutually benefit both funders and funded organisations.
Funders and Funded Relationships Case Study: Doing something different to feedback to our funders (Lightburn Elderly Association Project)
Shows funders how being flexible with reporting requirements can help funded organisations tell their story.
Funders and Funded Relationships Case Study: Clear communication and constructive feedback (Befrienders Highland)
Shows how the Big Lottery Fund supports the organisations they fund throughout the application and reporting stages.
Funders and Funded Relationships Case Study: ESS working in partnership with funders (The ALLIANCE)
Martha Lester-Cribb, ESS Evaluation Support Manager has provided workshops and support to third sector organisations funded through The ALLIANCE Self Management IMPACT Fund.
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