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LEAP for Volunteering
Prepared by
The Scottish Community Development Centre
For
Volunteer Centres Scotland
2003
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Foreword to LEAP for Volunteering
Origins
Volunteer Centres Scotland is committed to improving the quality of volunteering. In pursuit of this aim they commissioned the development of the LEAP
(Learning Evaluation and Planning) for Volunteering framework. It has been developed by the Scottish Community Development Centre from an existing model
prepared on behalf of the Scottish Executive Education Department for planning and evaluating community learning and development.
The original LEAP framework was the subject of a wide-ranging training and development strategy with partners in community learning and development in
which several volunteering agencies became involved. Evidence of the applicability and value of the model to volunteering was provided by applications of it by
these participants. However it was necessary to adapt the existing framework to the specific requirements of volunteering.
This version of LEAP has applied the core principles of the model but done so with a specific focus on volunteering, its values, methods and objectives. What
emerges is a framework that adopts common core principles, methods and language but is tailored specifically to the needs of the volunteering sector. (Users may
wish to note that, commissioned by the Health Education Board for Scotland, a similar adaptation has been made for community development and health work.
Hence a common approach to participatory planning and evaluation is emerging across sectors that frequently work in partnership with one another.)
Users
The initial intention was to produce a framework specifically for use by volunteer centres. However as the work has progressed the model has been developed
with the potential to be applied by a range of different sorts of agencies that support promote and engage volunteers and by volunteers directly.
The role of a volunteer centre is primarily focused on promoting and developing volunteering, whereas deploying volunteers in practical activity is primarily the
responsibility of agencies that engage volunteers. A useful analogy is the relationship between a job centre and an employer. Both have an interest in planning
and evaluation but it is different. So too do volunteers, individually or as groups involved in a common activity. For each of the potential users of the LEAP for
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Volunteering handbook the focus of planning and evaluation will be slightly different though all are key to volunteering as a whole. It is important therefore to
consider the role that you or your agency are playing and to focus on those aspects of the handbook that are most relevant to you.
Related initiatives
In their pursuit of best practice, Volunteer Centres Scotland have taken other important initiatives. For example they have developed a statement of vision and
values, a practice standards framework and an associated tool kit to support good practice. LEAP develops from and complements these initiatives. It adopts the
vision and values as its starting point and endorses the adoption of the kinds of resources identified in the tool kit. Most significantly it complements the
standards framework and it is important to be clear about the relationship between the two documents.
The function of standards is to provide guidance on forms of practice and levels of performance that are likely to provide a high quality service. They offer
models and targets for organisations. However stating a standard does not necessarily result in its application and applying a standard may not always be
effective. It is essential therefore to have tools available to help you to plan and evaluate your practice to see whether the standards are being implemented and
whether they are effective. LEAP is designed in part to help you do this. However, it is important to understand that LEAP is not primarily focused on standards
but on outcomes of practice. The key questions posed by LEAP are concerned with what you are trying to achieve, how you may go about it and whether the
methods and action you adopt are effective.
A very important approach to this is the application of standards. These are often statements of appropriate action to support best practice. Hence many of the 70
standards set out in the Volunteer Centres Standards framework start with words like adopt, operate, provide, review. These words indicate actions. The
standards framework identifies many desirable actions but there are many more that may be seen as relevant to particular outcomes. LEAP helps users to assess
what the appropriate actions may be to achieve the changes that are sought and enables reflective consideration of the benefits of their adoption.
Other evaluation and quality assurance frameworks
A common response when LEAP was first written was why do we need another framework. Partly this resulted from misunderstanding of the different purposes
of different tools, for example the assumption that standards, quality improvement (e.g. The Big Picture – produced by SCVO) and evaluation frameworks are
interchangeable. They may well be compatible but they do not perform the same function.
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It also resulted in part from an assumption that all evaluation frameworks are the same. They are not. They may adopt different perspective and hence apply
criteria that reflect different interests, they may be focused more on accountability or on learning from action, and they may emphasis periodic review against
prescribed goals or continuous learning about the process and outcomes of action. It is therefore important to understand what LEAP for volunteering is.
LEAP for Volunteering is:
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a tool for planning and evaluation of volunteering by those people who participate in it
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embedded in the values and principles of volunteering
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a basis for continuous review of progress and development of more effective action.
As such it is designed to support best practice. A fuller section in the text explores how LEAP may be used alongside other evaluation systems, such as
‘Best Value’ that agencies may be required to use.
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INTRODUCING LEAP
A. Setting the context
Volunteer development and volunteering
This publication provides a comprehensive framework for the planning and evaluation of volunteer development and volunteering. It was commissioned by
Volunteer Development Scotland and Volunteer Centres Scotland. The framework has been developed within the vision and values of Volunteer Centres
Scotland.
“Our vision of Scotland is of a nation which believes every one of its people can contribute towards and benefit from making Scotland a better place to
live; where volunteering is valued and recognised across all sectors as an expression of an empowered people and a force for change, and where anyone
who wants to volunteer can do so readily.
Volunteer Centres support volunteering that builds healthy sustainable communities that respect the dignity of all people; helps tackle social cultural,
economic and environmental issues, and builds a more humane and just society.
We support the Universal Declaration on Volunteering adopted by the International Association of Voluntary Effort in January 2001. This identifies
volunteering as a fundamental building block of civil society and challenges volunteers and leader of all sectors throughout the world to unite as partners
to promote and support effective volunteering, accessible to all, as a symbol of solidarity among all people and nations”
The framework has been designed to support focused, participatory, planning and continuous evaluation of volunteer development and volunteering. Within the
framework the following definition of volunteering is adopted from 'Supporting Active Communities In Scotland - draft strategy for volunteering and
community action' Scottish Executive (2000):
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"Volunteering - the commitment by individuals of time and energy for the benefit of the community. It is undertaken freely and by choice and without
personal financial gain."
Volunteering is an essential component of an active participative society. This is recognised by the UK government which, since 1999, has promoted an Active
Communities initiative to achieve: “…a step change in public involvement in the community” (Prime Minister Tony Blair, January 1999) In Scotland this
commitment is echoed in the foreword to the Active Communities strategy by, then, Deputy Minister for Social Justice, Jackie Baillie:
“The Scottish Executive has a strong commitment to volunteering and encouraging community action. We have this commitment because we believe
that volunteering and community action have an important part to play in promoting active citizenship.”
The Deputy Minister goes on to associate volunteering with the achievement of : “better government policies and more responsive public services” ; and with
the: “tackling of problems of poverty, disadvantage and social exclusion.”
This stance is entirely compatible with the perspectives of Volunteer Centres Scotland as set out in its vision and values statement. (The full statement is
appendix 1).
What is the framework about and who is it for?
The Learning, Evaluation and Planning (LEAP) package emphasises that planning and evaluation are integrally linked activities which continually inform the
progress of practice. The package is for use by partners in volunteer development and volunteering. LEAP is based on the recognition that volunteering is an
activity promoted:
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by a range of agencies - voluntary, statutory and private
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in a range of different disciplines and settings .
EDUCATION
ENVIRONMENT
HEALTH
HOUSING
ADVICE
ECONOMIC DEV.
LEISURE & SPORT
CULTURE & ARTS
SOCIAL WELFARE
S
T
A
T
U
T
O
R
Y
V
O
L
U
N
T
A
R
Y
EDUCATION
P
R
I
V
A
T
E
ENVIRONMENT
HEALTH
HOUSING
ADVICE
ECONOMIC DEV.
LEISURE & SPORT
CULTURE & ARTS
SOCIAL WELFARE
Some agencies and workers such as those in Volunteer Centres will be specialists in the field of volunteering. For others it will be just one part of their activities.
The package is intended for use by both.
Volunteer development normally involves more than one agency. This may be as simple as the relationship between a promotion and a user agency, however it is
frequently much more complex as volunteers are increasingly deployed in settings where several agencies and disciplines are working in partnership. It therefore
requires a “joined-up” approach from agencies. This package is designed to provide a common framework for planning and evaluation which can be used when
different agencies that are working together in partnership.
The LEAP planning and evaluation package should enable its users to:
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clarify what is involved in volunteer development and volunteering
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plan their activities
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identify evaluation indicators which are appropriate
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provide evidence of what has been done
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provide evidence of what difference it has made to individuals and communities
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learn from their practice experience to improve their effectiveness
As was noted in the forward, different agencies will have different roles in volunteering and will need to concentrate on those aspects of LEAP that are most
pertinent to their particular role.
The package is designed for participatory self-evaluation and quality improvement. By self evaluation we mean an approach in which, together, the participants
take responsibility for the evaluation of their own work as a continuous part of their activities. In other words planning and evaluation are tasks of practice itself
which are developed and implemented by the people who are involved. We call these people the stakeholders. Hence the package is based on the principles that :
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evaluation should be an integral part of developing volunteering
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promoting and engaging agencies, volunteers and service users take part in it
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they do so to achieve continual improvements in effectiveness and efficiency
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they feed the lessons into their planning of future work
LEAP is intended to help the stakeholders to plan and evaluate their own work in partnership. It is designed to be adaptable to a range of circumstances and be
applied in the real day to day world of volunteering. The pack:
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elaborates the principles underlying the planning and evaluation model
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describes and explains the key components of the model
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sets out indicative criteria for planning and evaluating both processes and tasks
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discusses issues in using the model
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provides information on methods and techniques for using the model
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considers how the evaluation framework can inform:
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planning;
management/supervision;
review and development
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reviews the policy context
LEAP should be used as a framework for planning and evaluation. It is based on an analysis of the key tasks involved in volunteer development and volunteering
and invites users to identify the changes they seek to achieve ant the methods of reaching them.
B. Understanding the model
The Approach
The planning and self evaluation model is presented in a diagram at the end of this section. The diagram illustrates the key components of the model and
indicates its underlying assumptions and principles. These are discussed in this section and accompanied by illustrations which build up to form the complete
model.
We start by examining key contexts of volunteering. We then illustrate the core components of volunteering and the relationship between evaluation and
planning.
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Volunteering is subject to the influences of the wider world.
WID ER
IN FLUEN CES
ECONOMIC
POLI TICAL
CULTURAL
TECHNOLOGICAL
SOCIAL
Volunteering does not exist in a vacuum. It is constantly influenced by its wider environment and in turn seeks to influence it. Changes in economic, social,
political, technological or cultural context impact on its priorities, resources, activities and dominant values. Here are some examples of wider influences which
would all have an impact on volunteering for both providers and users:
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an economic downturn and increasing unemployment or poverty
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a change of government
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a change in population characteristics (e.g. increase in dependent older people)
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a change in cultural values (e.g. reduction in religious affiliation)
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spread of information and communication technology (e.g. use of the internet)
The model starts by recognising that volunteering operates in the context of these wider influences. These reflect broader and, frequently, global trends.
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Volunteer development and volunteering take place in an explicit policy and legal context
POLICIES and LAW e.g.
HEALTH EQUALITIES
LIFE LONG LEARNING
ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP
CHILD PROTECTION
DISABILITY DISCRIMINATION
The model suggests that it is vital that agencies and practitioners understand and respond to the policy and legal context of their work. Equally it indicates that
lessons from their practice should be used to influence policy development. This applies both to specific policy for volunteering and the wider policy objectives
within which this activity is located such as achieving health equalities or environmental sustainability .
A working group of volunteer centre staff involved in developing this framework identified the following significant policy influences on volunteering activity:
active citizenship, social justice, life long learning, Agenda 21, equal opportunities, health equalities, social care, community planning and regeneration. Of these
it was noted that three are currently of key importance: social justice, active citizenship (particularly the Active Communities Strategy) and community planning.
These are given particular consideration in the next section.
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The group also identified a range of legislation that influences how volunteering is developed and conducted including law relating to: child protection,
employment rights, human rights, disability and race discrimination, data protection, criminal justice and regulation of care.
Such legislation and policy can enable and/or control the development of volunteering. To plan and evaluate the activity effectively full account must be taken of
the influence of legislation and policy.
The policy framework sets broad objectives which are intended to guide investment in volunteer development. In turn, volunteering activity both responds to the
objectives of these policies and, through its experience of engagement with its participants, seeks to influence the way in which policy develops. Hence practice
should have an interactive relationship with the policy process. This can only happen if there is effective evaluation of volunteering which provides evidence of
the relevance of policies to needs. Equally the lessons must be effectively communicated and acted on.
Planning and Evaluation of volunteering will be the specific context of the Active Communities strategy and in the general context of Social Justice Policy and
Community Planning
SOCIAL JUSTICE POLICY
ACTIVE COMMUNITIES
STRATEGY
COMMUNITY PLANS
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The Scottish Executive sets out is vision for delivering social justice in the following way:
“Our vision for delivering social justice in Scotland:
A Scotland where every child matters, where every child, regardless of their family background, has the best possible start in life;
A Scotland in which every young person has the opportunities, skills and support to make a successful transition to working life and active citizenship
A Scotland in which every family is able to support itself – with work for those who can and security for those who can’t;
A Scotland in which every person beyond working age has a decent quality of life
A Scotland in which every person both contributes to and benefits from the community in which they live”
(Social Justice …A Scotland where everyone matters, Scottish Executive 1999)
These goals are consistent with the Vision and Values of Volunteer Centres Scotland and inform the way that volunteer centres conduct their work. They
represent a broad set of aspirations for social change that recognise the significance of active citizenship and volunteering. These aspects of policy are set out,
with the endorsement of the Scottish Executive, in the Active Communities Strategy (2000). The Active Communities working group which set out the draft
strategy and has subsequently advised on its development, set out four objectives:
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To bring about more positive attitudes at all levels towards volunteering and community action
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To locate volunteering and community action at the heart of policy and practice
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To broaden the range of people involved
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To increase the number of people involved
These objectives are directed to the achievement of the following vision:
“… a society built around communities of place and of interest, in which it is known and accepted that people can and do freely engage in shared action leading
to improved quality of life for themselves and others.”
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The objectives are the product of the Active Communities strategy mission:
“ ….. to create a long term strategic framework that will make it easier for those who wish to engage in volunteering and community action to do so. This
involves promoting and protecting engagement as a basic right of all citizens in a free and democratic society; developing the means of making it effective; and
reducing the barriers to involvement, especially barriers of discrimination…”
The strategy informs the way that government engages with and supports initiatives in volunteering. It must therefore inform goals of planning and criteria for
evaluation of volunteering.
Whilst the Active Communities Strategy, which embodies the principles of social justice, provides the specific policy context for volunteering, Community
Planning is set to become a key influence on all agencies concerned with civil society in Scotland. The explanatory notes accompanying the Local Government in
Scotland Bill (2002) describe the Community Planning process as: “ one in which the public services in a local authority area must be planned and provided
after consultation with community bodies responsible for providing those services, and with the on-going cooperation among those bodies.”
It will be important to place the contribution of volunteering in the context of Community Planning as this will guide the overall priorities of local public
services within which volunteers are frequently deployed. Volunteer centre/engaging agencies may also contribute directly to the Community Planning process.
Particularly since Community Plans are intended to be informed by community participation, volunteer development should take account of the direction they
offer (though, except in the context of specific service agreements, there can be no obligation on Volunteer centre/engaging agencies or volunteers to respond to
these priorities).
Volunteering is based on an explicit value framework
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VALUES: e.g.
FREEWILL AND CHOICE
EMPOWERMENT
PARTNERHSIP
Volunteering operates in the context of policies which are expressions of values. Equally, practitioners base their work on particular values. It is important that
the values which have informed development of volunteering should be articulated and asserted. These values need to inform evaluation of practice performance.
The values of volunteering are rightly subject to review and debate. But there is a foundation which has consistently informed both policy and practice and helps
to define what volunteering is. The following list is drawn from Volunteer Centres Scotland (Vision and Values – Mission and Aims statement) and identifies
critical aspects of the orientation of volunteer development.
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inclusiveness – everyone has the right to volunteer and should be free to do so
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diversity – everyone in society regardless of race, sex, gender, religion, disability, sexual orientation, social background, formal qualifications or
perceived success, has some passion, skill or talent that can make a difference to someone else’s life as well as his or her own
o
freewill and choice – volunteering is an act of free choice not based on any form of compulsion or coercion
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mutual benefit – volunteering to help others is a two way process. It is a shared experience in which helpers and those helped all benefit
o
empowerment – volunteering empowers people to fulfil their potential and acquire new skills and knowledge
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impact – volunteering is a driver of change, social, economic, cultural, environmental
o
enabling – volunteer development is committed to motivating, inspiring and then enabling diverse groups of people to access volunteering opportunities
o
partnership – volunteering involves working in partnership with others in motivating people to volunteer
This list incorporates ideas which inform the very concept of the rights and obligations of democratic citizenship. Bringing them together leads to the conclusion
that volunteering is a foundation stone for citizen participation in society.
The values of volunteering inform its vision of the good society. The outcomes which it seeks for individuals and communities reflect this vision and must
therefore inform its criteria for evaluation. However, vision must always be tempered by reality. Therefore, in the process of moving forward, there will always
be debate about values and their implications for appropriate action. Different stakeholders may have different priorities or interpretations. At times there may be
direct value conflicts. Such differences have to be negotiated so that common bases for joint action can be agreed. This cannot happen unless values and
differences of view about them are made explicit.
It will be apparent that the core values of volunteering are also expressed in the key policies which currently inform its practice. Hence common criteria for
measurement of the contribution and benefits of volunteering can be readily identified. However it cannot be assumed that the policy context will always
facilitate or welcome volunteering.
Planning and Evaluation should take account of inputs, processes, outputs and outcomes
There are four key aspects to planning and evaluation:
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understanding what goes into the activity
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understanding how work is conducted
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understanding what the work produces
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understanding what effects it has
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We call these the inputs, processes, outputs and outcomes.
Any planning or evaluation needs to consider the relationship between inputs, processes, outputs and outcomes.
LEAP stresses that in planning work it is the outcomes which you wish to achieve which should be considered first. They provide the vision of change for
individuals and communities to which all other aspects of activity are directed. Below we set out definitions of each term. The section then goes on to explore
each in more detail.
Making an apple pie:
To understand what is meant by inputs, processes, outputs and outcomes it may be helpful to use an analogy.
To make an apple pie needs certain inputs: the motivation of the cook, the recipe, the ingredients, and the availability of an oven. The quality of each of these
will have a significant impact on the quality of the final product. The processes involved in making a pie include following a recipe, preparing the apples,
mixing pastry, setting the oven and baking the pie. Again the quality of these processes will affect the result. The output in this case is the pie itself: and the
nature of the output can be measured for consistency, size, taste, calorific value and so on. The outcome is the result of the pie. Did people eat it, did they enjoy
it, and did the dog steal it? Outcomes may be intended or unintended, but can be hard to control.
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I n p u t s:
T h e r e so u r ce s u se d t o
d e v e lo p a n d c a r r y o u t a
p r o g r a m m e , p o lic y o r p r o j e ct .
I n c lu d e s: st a f f , v o lu n t e e r s
t im e , b u d g e t s,
e q u ip m e n t b u ild in g s,
Pr o c e ss:
Ou r m et h od s of w ork h o w w e u se t h e
r e so u r ce s -
O u t p u t s:
W hat I s done sp e c if ic a ct io n s a n d
p r od u ct s
O u t co m e s:
W h at h as ch ag ed
an d I n w h at w ay
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Inputs
I nput s:
Volunt eer inputs
User I nputs
Agency st aff inputs
Ext ernal inputs
inputs
In the diagram four kinds of inputs to volunteering are identified:
o
from the volunteers – individuals or groups that provide a service (e.g. skills, time, commitment and motivations)
o
from the service user/s – individual, group, community and/or organisation (e.g. problem/need definition, collaborative effort)
o
from the volunteer centre/engaging agency/ies (e.g. staff and committee members time and skills, training, buildings, equipment, services)
o
from other agencies external to the local setting (e.g. grants, policy statements and guidance)
The balance of these inputs will depend on the role of the agencies and/or activities that are the particular focus for planning and evaluation. This is illustrated in
the box below. In general, the stakeholders with the most obvious inputs are volunteers, volunteer centre/engaging agency staff, and external agencies.
Volunteers are the key resources, it is their skills and effort that are the means of promoting change. The inputs of the volunteer centre/engaging agency are
designed to enable this to happen. Those of external agencies are likely to be important in setting the conditions in which both volunteers and volunteer
centres/engaging agencies operate. It is important to note that the service user/s, whether an individual, group, community or organisations have been included
here to recognise that they should not be seen as passive recipients or beneficiaries of the efforts of others. But, wherever possible, they should be seen as
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partners in problem resolution who have as much of a role as other stakeholders in specifying the terms and conditions of volunteer involvement.
It is essential to be clear what each group is willing and able to contribute and to look at how to maximise the benefits that can be gained from combining their
resources. Unfortunately, not everyone will necessarily want to use their resources positively, so it is important to think about possible negative inputs and how
these can be countered.
The adequacy of the inputs largely determines the process, outputs and outcomes of the work. So it is essential to maximise the resources available to support
volunteering from all sources and be as concerned with quality as quantity. This will be achieved by good programme design and planning, effective resource
management staff and volunteer deployment.
Illustrating different Inputs
Volunteer Centre Anytown acts as a clearing house for volunteers. It seeks to match them with agencies that engage volunteers. one such project is Commspace
an environmental improvement agency. Commspace is involved in a project to develop a derelict site for recreational use. It recruits its volunteers through the
volunteer centre and deploys them directly in practical action to create play facilities and a community garden. The inputs that are relevant to planning and
evaluation will differ depending on the focus of planning and evaluation.
If the focus is the work of Anytown Volunteer Centre as a clearing house, the primary inputs are likely to come directly from:
- the volunteers themselves,
- the staff of the volunteer centre,
- the staff of the deploying agency,
- the agency that defines the national guidelines for volunteer centres.
If on the other hand the focus of planning and evaluation was on the Commspace land improvement project, inputs would primarily come from:
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- the potential users of the service (i.e. young people and adults from the local community),
- the volunteers,
- the staff of Commspace,
- agencies such as the local planning authority that must approve land use projects.
Though Anytown Volunteer Centre provides a source of volunteers it only has an indirect interest in the way the actual project develops. It will want to know that
volunteers are satisfied that the project is worthwhile but it is not a key stakeholder in the actual project.
Overall Processes:
Pr oce sse s:
Volunteer
inputs
User input s
Enabling
Volunt eers
Agency I nput s Developing
Volunt eering
ext ernal
input s
Achieving
change
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The overall (macro) processes of volunteer development and volunteering are expressions of its core purposes:
o
Enabling volunteers – to help anyone who wants to do so to volunteer (volunteer focus)
o
Developing volunteering – to ensure the best experience for volunteers (agency focus)
o
Achieving change – to develop and demonstrate positive outcomes from volunteering for individuals and communities (service user focus)
Processes are active. Hence the focus here is on the way in which workers and agencies engage with people. In the LEAP model these overall processes of action are analysed to
identify their component parts. This is done at three levels. The first level identifies the major dimensions of each activity.
We identify four dimensions for: Enabling Volunteers:
1) Identify and engage with potential volunteers
2) Assess volunteer needs and aspirations and risks
3) Facilitate volunteering
4) Provide appropriate support to volunteers
We identify three dimensions for: Developing Volunteering:
1) Identify quality volunteering opportunities
2) Develop quality volunteering opportunities
3) Sustain quality volunteering opportunities
We identify five dimensions for: Achieving change
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1) Social
2) Environmental
3) Artistic/recreational/cultural/spiritual
4) Democratic
5) Economic
The second level identifies what is involved in each dimension. We call this level the elements. For example in the dimension: Assess volunteer needs and
aspirations, we have the following elements:
o
Gather information on motivation and interests in volunteering;
o
Gather information on barriers to volunteering
o
Review data to assess potential and support needs of individual volunteers
o
Review data to identify overall volunteering potential
In section 2A, page ? of these guidance notes the nature of the dimensions and elements is fully discussed.
The third level relates to illustrations of specific (micro) processes or methods which may be involved in work on each of the elements. Processes or
methods of work are things like:
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training,
•
network development,
•
counseling
•
community organising,
•
groupwork
•
investigating needs
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•
action research,
•
marketing,
•
information provision,
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identifying opportunities
•
building confidence
•
advocacy,
•
campaigning
•
project planning.
They define the overall approaches we take to achieving change. In the indicator development tables in section 2B, page ?ff there is a column headed: examples of
process. It provides specific illustrations of the kinds of approaches workers may take to the delivery of each of the elements of community learning.
Outputs:
Outputs
Volunteer
inputs
Enabling
Volunteers
User inputs
Developing
Agency Inputs Volunteering
external
inputs
Achieving
change
specific
Volunteer
Initiatives
specific
Volunteering
programmes
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Within the overall processes of volunteer development and volunteering, workers and agencies undertake specific developmental tasks and service providing
activities. The outputs are the specific tasks and actions that will be undertaken either by volunteers directly or by the volunteer centre/engaging agency.
For example a volunteer centre may be recruiting and deploying volunteers for a classroom support programme in a local school. It may have determined that the
processes that it needs to engage in are things like: training, volunteer support, needs assessment. But these are categories or types of activity not specific actions.
To develop an effective plan these general processes or methods need to be translated into specific things that will be done by particular people at particular
times. Hence in the case of training the output might be a training course run in partnership between the head teacher and the centre organiser on Wednesday
evenings for 2 hours over a six week period starting on April 19th.
Outputs are tangible activities that people can be held to account for delivering.
Outputs are relatively easy to evaluate because success is determined by the actions of the stakeholders. The key determinants of success are their own
resourcing, planning and implementation. Volunteer development and volunteering have numerous different sorts of outputs - events, personal services, surveys,
promotional and media presentations, training courses, participation structures and so on. Outputs are explored further in section 2A, page 12ff.
Outcomes:
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Outcomes
Volunteer
inputs
Enabling
Volunteers specific
Volunteer
User inputs
Initiatives
Developing
Agency Inputs Volunteering
specific
Volunteering
external
Achieving
programmes
inputs
change
Personal
quality of life
Community
quality of
life
Outcomes reflect the wider reasons why we promote volunteering. They focus on the effects and benefits which it can have in people’s lives. Without a vision of
the outcomes volunteering lacks purposeful direction. Achieving, with your partners, a shared vision of outcomes is therefore a precondition for planning good
practice. Equally it is essential for evaluation. Yet, ironically, a weakness of much planning is lack of clarity of vision and many evaluations fail to consider
outcomes, despite the fact that the ultimate measure of the value of practice is the difference that it makes.
If an output of a school support programme is a training course for volunteers, this is not an end in itself. It is provided because it may enable volunteers to think
about and do things which may benefit the young people they relate to. For example, enhancing their skills and self confidence, improving their life chances in a
wide variety of ways. These benefits can be seen as outcomes for individuals or the community or young people who participate in the programme. Thus, to
capture the overall outcomes that are sought from volunteering we refer to improvement in the quality of individual or community life.
But there is no guarantee that people will participate or, if they do, that it will necessarily lead to the outcomes which were sought. In other words while agencies
and volunteers may be trying to achieve particular outcomes, they do not control outcomes and they may be different from their expectations. To follow through
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on the school support example, young people may decide not to participate or may do so solely because they want to be with their friends. Depending what they
get up to, the latter may have positive or negative consequences but, what ever they are, they are unlikely to have been part of the plan of action. It is important
therefore to know what the outcomes actually are, not just whether the planned ones are achieved. Positive unplanned outcomes can be built in to future activity,
and it may be possible to guard against negative ones.
The diagram identifies the two main areas in which outcomes will be sought - the quality of personal and community life. Personal outcomes will be concerned
with things like:
•
access to opportunities
•
skills knowledge and confidence
•
involvement in social, economic or cultural activity
•
health gains
Community outcomes will be concerned with things like:
•
environmental improvements
•
social activities
•
cultural activities
•
local democracy
•
wealth creation
Outcomes of volunteering are discussed further in section 2A, page ?ff. The outcomes should be compatible with the aspirations of the participants, the values of
volunteering and the objectives of key policies.
Whilst the diagram points to personal and community outcomes it also recognises that there are outcomes for the stakeholder who contribute to volunteering.
These are indicated in the arrows which return to the input stage and focus on the lessons learned. This feature of the model reflects the dynamic relationship
between inputs, processes, outputs and outcomes.
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In terms of influence on outcomes, it may also be helpful to note that the relationship of volunteer centres, and the agencies that engage the volunteers is likely to
be different. Ultimately both will be concerned with improvement of the quality of personal and/or community life but a volunteer centre may only have an
indirect relationship to the actual activities that produce these qualitative benefits. In other words to achieve its ultimate purposes it is frequently dependent on the
actions of others. Its focus will therefore be on maximising positive influence on these agents. Though the relationship is indirect, it should be no less concerned
with these outcomes than agencies that engage volunteers that will have a direct involvement in the actions which seek to bring about the qualitative outcomes.
Both should also recognise that volunteering itself should be an activity which improves the quality of life of those who do it. Thus they should concern
themselves with the outcomes for volunteers as well as those with whom they may work.
Inputs, processes, outputs and outcomes are dynamically interrelated in a cycle of planning action and learning
INPUT
User
inputs
Volunteer
inputs
Agency
inputs
External
Inputs
PROCESS
Enabling
Volunteering
OUTPUT
OUTCOME
specific
Volunteer
Initiatives
Personal
quality of life
specific
Volunteering
programmes
Community
quality of
life
Developing
Volunteersin
Achieving
Change
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Whilst inputs, processes, outputs and outcomes are of different character they are integral elements of a single activity. It is easy to see them simply as having a
linear relationship - the inputs determine the process, the process the outputs and the outputs the outcomes. However this is too simple a view of the relationship.
Volunteering operates over time and is continuously engaged in taking new initiatives. However, those who participate in them are frequently people who have
already had an involvement and whose perceptions of needs, appropriate action and satisfactory solutions is influenced by their previous experience. A poor
learning experience is likely to reduce motivation and commitment, a positive one is likely to enhance it. This principle is valid for the experience of all
partners. Positive collaboration leads to increased confidence, understanding and trust which feeds into future joint working. Negative experience undermines
partnerships and results in tension, inefficiency and ineffectiveness.
The outcomes of every initiative have a bearing on the dispositions of all of the stakeholders towards future activity. The quality of the current inputs becomes a
reflection of what has gone before. Hence the diagram shows a continuous cycle of activity in which lessons and experience are feeding from past into new
activities.
The Model
The contextual influences on volunteering and the core activities involved can be drawn together in the single diagram overleaf. This illustrates that planning and
evaluation are integrally linked processes which focus on particular projects or programmes of activity and must take account of a range of influences and formal
procedures.
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•
WIDER INFLUENCES
POLICIES:
LIFELONG LEARNING
HEALTH
EQUALITY
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
SOCIAL JUSTICE & COMMUNITY PLANNING
ACTIVE
CITIZENSHIP
ECONOMIC
CULTURAL
INPUT
PROCESS
Volunteer
Enabling
inputs
Volunteering
User
inputs
Agency
inputs
External
Inputs
OUTPUT
OUTCOME
specific
Volunteer
Initiatives
Personal
quality of life
specific
Volunteering
programmes
Community
quality of
life
Developing
Volunteersin
Achieving
Change
ACTIVE COMMUNITIES STRATEGY
POLITICAL
VALUES:
MUTUAL BENEFIT
PARTICIPATION
EMPOWERMENT
PARTNERSHIP
SOCIAL
TECHNOLOGICAL
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Section 2
Steps to planning and evaluation
Introduction
LEAP identifies a logical series of steps to enable you to develop an integrated approach to action planning and evaluation They are illustrated in a diagram and
discussed below. (At the end of the section a blank diagram is provided which can be copied and used as a worksheet). The steps illustrated in the diagram make
the assumption that you are responding to an identified need.
•
It is essential to recognise that this model of planning and evaluation requires you to have done effective need identification as the basis for focusing your
vision for change and your methods of action.
Need led planning is discussed further in section 4B page ?ff.
Illustrating the steps
The steps are illustrated using an example that is focused on a particular area of activity that might be a priority at a particular time. For this purpose we draw on
a task exercise conducted with a working group of volunteer centres organisers. The example relates to:
•
Core purpose 2: Developing Volunteering, dimension 1: Identify quality volunteering opportunities, and within this to a particular element: Promote the
potential of volunteering with relevant agencies
Imagine you have completed an audit of attitudes to volunteering among statutory agencies in your area and realised that there is a lack of appreciation of the
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potential of volunteer involvement. In relation to this you would need to identify the specific outcomes and processes involved. You would need to identify the
measures or indicators you might use, your output targets and the inputs you would require. Following the LEAP steps sequence enables you to do this.
(As you work through the example you will find that though the focus is on just one element of one dimension, the measures and indicators that you identify will
very often also provide you with evidence that would be relevant for the planning and evaluation of several elements across a range of dimensions).
STEPSINAPLANNINGANDEVALUATIONFRAMEWORK
OUTCOME INDICATORS
STEP2
STEP3
Howwill we knowwhether it
has changed?
INPUTS
What resources will we use?
OUTPUTTARGETS
OUTCOMES
IDENTIFIED NEED
What specific activities
will we undertake- where,
when and with whom?
What needs to change?
PROCESSES
What methods and
approaches will we adopt
What nowneeds to change?
STEP1
STEP4
STEP5
EVALUATION
OUTPUTMONITORING
Did we deliver the outputs
plannrd, did these produce
the intended outcomes, what
else happened, what will we
need to do next?
Howwill we know
whether we carried out
the activities we planned
in the waywe intended?
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Step 1:
What needs to change?
The first step is to identify the outcomes that you and your partners are trying to achieve (see column 1 in the diagram below). Since these are the reason for
doing the work they become the critical focus for your evaluation activity. It is very important to understand that it is outcome performance that is critical. Too
often evaluation focuses on output performance. This is pointless because outputs are instruments for achieving outcomes. They are not ends in themselves. Their
usefulness can only be assessed in terms of whether they produce the desired effects.
Step 2:
How will we know whether it has changed?
The second step is to identify measures or indicators that will provide you with evidence about your performance in relation to the chosen outcomes.
•
Measure:
a quantified and direct description of outputs or outcomes e.g. number of people below 50% of average national income as a measure of poverty
•
Indicator:
a proxy measure used when outputs or outcomes are not directly measurable e.g. reduction in truancy used as an indicator of greater satisfaction with school.
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Wherever possible it is desirable to have direct measures of performance but frequently this is not possible. It is therefore helpful to have several indicators that
suggest, though they cannot prove, a connection between what is done and the outcomes that are claimed.
Measures and indicators can only be used if you are clear about where you started from. It is essential therefore as part of step 2 that you identify the baseline for
your assessment of change.
•
Baseline:
recording, based on the chosen measures or indicators of the prevailing conditions at the start of work, or a particular point in time, against which
development of outputs and outcomes may be measured
There will be two kinds of measures or indicators that you may adopt, those relating to quantity and quality.
•
Quantitative: approaches to collecting information that are primarily statistical
•
Qualitative: approaches to collecting information that reflect feeling, meaning and understanding
The decisions about what measures and indicators should be used will be taken in partnership with the other stakeholders. They should as far as possible be ones
for which data would be readily available on an on-going basis. Data sources and collection are discussed more fully at the end of section 4 A page ?.
Set out below (column 2) is a possible list of example measures and indicators that might be used in relation to the outcomes sought.
Step 1:
Step 2:
Your intended outcomes
Your outcome measures and indicators
o
Greater awareness of the potential role of volunteers
o
Indicator: Agency staff and managers show more interest in involving
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volunteers in more diverse range of activities
o
More positive attitudes to volunteer involvement
o
Indicators: Records of contacts, perceptions of volunteers
o
Active identification of opportunities for volunteer involvement
o
Measure: regular briefings on volunteering opportunities are provided
o
More volunteers involved
o
Measure: Number of volunteers increases
o
Volunteer involvement retained
o
Measure: Records of increased length of volunteer involvement
o
Needs of volunteers catered for
o
Indicators: Perceptions of volunteers, observations of practice
o
Effective collaboration between statutory services and volunteer
o
Measure: Regular meetings instituted, minutes record action on
centre
o
Better volunteer management systems
agreements
o
Measures: Volunteering policy setting out management procedures,
supervision arrangements etc
o
Better volunteer management
o
Indicators: reduced turnover of volunteers, perceptions of volunteers
o
Better service for users
o
Indicators: reduction in complaints, direct expressions of satisfaction
Step 3:
How will we go about it?
The third step has three parts. These are: to identify the output targets, the processes you will adopt and the inputs that will be required in order to achieve the
intended outcomes. Here you will be concerned with how you will engage with volunteers, user agencies and intended beneficiaries, the level of investment that
will be made and by whom. Though ultimately volunteering must be measured by its outcomes (in this example, the increased appreciation among statutory
agencies of the potential of volunteering), you need to know what the relationship is between the methods you use, the investment you make and the outcomes
that result. Your evaluation therefore needs to encompass assessment of the inputs, processes and outputs. All three are illustrated in the table below.
Decisions about inputs, processes and output targets are interactive. Action must respond to needs but also be realistic about the inputs that can be made
available. Thus, in the diagram these aspects of the cycle are encompassed within the large circle to signify that you will need to find a balance between inputs,
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processes and output targets. Whilst targets and processes should be realistic they also have to be worthwhile – to be judged to be likely to have the capacity to
achieve the intended outcomes .
Output targets should be measurable and time scaled. This is the basis for completion of step 4.
Step 4:
How will we know whether we carried out the activities we planned in the way we intended?
The fourth step is to identify measures and indicators to monitor whether the activities you plan are carried out in the manner intended. You will set specific
targets for when, where and how you will undertake the activities you plan. You will design the outputs and adopt methods that you think are most likely to
achieve the desired outcomes. Unless you know whether these are carried through it will not be possible to judge whether any failure to achieve intended
outcomes reflects deficiencies in your design for achieving change, or in the way in which it was implemented, or external events. Thus, these measures and
indicators need to give you information that helps you to see whether you have met your targets. You will also want to know whether your approach was efficient
and equitable - did you use more or less resources than necessary, was everyone who should have been involved enabled to participate? The task here is primarily
concerned with monitoring the implementation of the action plan.
With questions like these in mind, we set out below the inputs, processes, output targets and associated measures and indicators which you might have adopted,
in steps 3 and 4, from a local plan and evaluation framework relating to promoting increased appreciation of the potential for volunteer involvement by statutory
agencies. It should be apparent that, combined with the outcomes and associated indicators and measures for steps 1 and 2 set out above, these charts set out an
illustration of the kind of material which could be put together using the framework of the indicator development tables described in section 3 on page ?.
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Step 3
Step 4
Your inputs
Your processes
Your output targets
Monitoring your outputs
Development officer time (3 days)
Networking, identifying ‘champions’
Conduct follow up telephone survey
Record of contacts and issues
and clarifying evidence
of responses to audit evidence with
discussed
key contacts (within 4 week s)
Volunteer organiser time (2 days)
Collecting good practice information
Arrange meetings with Volunteer
Portfolio of relevant, quality
Development Scotland and Volunteer
information from both sources
Centres network to gain access to
good information (within 4 weeks)
Hold focus group of volunteers who
Record of focus group – number
volunteer time( ½ day X 10), admin
have been involved in statutory
attending, content of discussion,
support, venue, budget
agencies to review their experiences
Development Officer time (2 days).,
Collecting practice evidence
(within 4 weeks)
Volunteer organisers time (10 days),
Providing information
development officer (10 days), admin
Volunteer promotion pack written and
The pack is available, the pack is
published (in 3 months)
viewed positively by volunteers and
agencies
support, budget for publication
Volunteer organiser time (2 days)
Providing information, developing
Plan, advertise and run launch event
Responses to invitations to attend,
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development officer (2 days),
dialogue
for promotions pack for key contacts
volunteer time (½ day X 4)admin
in agencies involving volunteers (in 4
support, venue, budget
months)
Volunteer organiser (3 days)
programme for event
Providing information, developing
Target lead officer in Community
Record of contact, opportunity
dialogue, seeking influence
Planning Forum and seek opportunity
created
for presentation on volunteering
Step 5:
Did we deliver the outputs planned, did these produce the intended outcomes, what else happened and what will we do next?
The fifth step is to draw together and evaluate the evidence of performance in relation to both outputs and outcomes. You not only need to know whether you
delivered your planned outputs (step 4) but above all you need to know whether there is a connection between the specific investment you have made, the
activities you have undertaken and the outcomes which result. For example, in step 1 above we identified; greater awareness of the potential roles of volunteers,
as a desired outcome and suggested that the indicators for assessing this would relate to the behaviour of agency staff and managers with regard to identifying
opportunities. Step 3 identified the importance of collecting and disseminating appropriate information as outputs. These were selected because they were seen as
leading to the desired outcome. The evidence needs to be analysed not only to see whether the outputs were delivered as planned but equally to see whether they
contributed to the intended outcome. Thus there are two stages:
•
firstly, did you collect and disseminate appropriate information and,
•
secondly, to what extent did your information provision contribute to the outcomes?
If your baseline evidence tells you that the agency officers had little or no knowledge of the potential for involving volunteers, and you set out to provide support
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in development of such knowledge, you need to know how effective your contribution may have been. It is also important to know how efficiently you used your
resources to achieve these effects. Though it is not central to this example, it is important too to bear in mind principles of equity or fairness in judging who
benefited from your work.
•
Effectiveness:
the degree to which the intended outputs and outcomes have been achieved
•
Efficiency:
the ratio of the inputs to the outputs and outcomes. (This involves not only direct financial costs but also issues of management, resources, structures, methods
of working which need to be evaluated both quantitatively and qualitatively).
•
Equity:
the equality of opportunity, relative to need, to participate and benefit from the process, outputs and outcomes
Step 5 will enable you to consider what has happened and what relationship this has to the role you played. The answers to these questions provide you with
information for further planning and a new cycle of planning and evaluation emerges. You will start the new cycle by posing the question: what now needs to
change?
Extrapolating from the example
The two grids set out in this section illustrate the components for planning and the criteria for evaluating work that you need in relation to a particular element of
practice. You and your partners will need to do something very similar and the work-sheet is provided to support this. In the illustration presented we have
looked at just one element. In practice, there will be several elements to address (the process of identifying these is explained in the next section). The scope of
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your work will obviously be more extensive but the process will be the same. Bear in mind however, that dimensions and elements are closely related to one
another and often the same indicators and measures will provide you with evidence that is useful in relation to several dimensions or elements.
Here, as our starting point, we have concentrated on element 1 of dimension 1 of core purpose 2: Developing volunteering. The element reads: Promote the
potential of volunteering with relevant agencies (see table on page ?). But in doing this we have identified that we need to engage in activities that will also
contribute to most of the other elements in this dimension. These activities are also likely to be the launch pad for work in the second dimension of Developing
Volunteering: Develop quality volunteering opportunities. For example, we have identified processes and specific outputs relating to information collection and
provision, dialogue and networking that are also required to achieve other purposes of volunteer development and volunteering.
Thus the focus on a particular activity – promoting awareness of the potential of volunteering - simultaneously provides evidence in relation to many other
aspects of practice which you will be planning and evaluating. The interconnectedness of the dimensions and elements means that the tasks of planning and
evaluation should not be as daunting as they may at first appear.
BLANK TEMPLATE:
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STEPS IN A PLANNING AND EVALUATION FRAMEWORK
STEP 3
STEP 2
OUTCOMES
INDICATORS
INPUTS
OUTPUT TARGETS
OUTCOMES
PROCESSES
IDENTIFIED NEED
1
STEP 1
STEP 4
EVALUATION
OUTPUT MONITORING
STEP 5
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Section 3
A Map of Volunteer Development and Volunteering
Introduction
In this section we introduce and explain the use of a set of indicator development tables for volunteering and volunteer development
We explore the character of the indicator development tables and associated work-sheet relating to the core purposes of volunteering (introduced in section 1
page ?) :
o
Core purpose 1:Enabling volunteers – to help anyone who wants to do so to volunteer (volunteer focus)
o
Core purpose 2: Developing volunteering – to ensure the best experience for volunteers (agency focus)
o
Core purpose 3:Achieving change – to develop and demonstrate positive outcomes from volunteering for individuals and communities (user focus)
These tables are at the core of the framework. Their purpose is to assist in planning and evaluating the quality, quantity and effects of the work being done. Their
focus is on the manner in which volunteering is promoted and the changes that it may seek to achieve. The tables are presented as the second part of this section.
The set of tables provides a resource to help you locate your particular current activities within the overall range of activities that form part of volunteer
development and volunteering. The tables are intended to act like a map. They help you to see where you are and examine your surroundings. Just like a map
they should help you to plan your actions by ensuring that you focus on the things that are relevant to where you are and where you are trying to get to.
Here we discuss the format and use of these tables.
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Understanding and using the indicator development tables for planning and self-evaluation
The tables discussed in this section are designed to help you to:
a) Plan
b) Evaluate
They should assist you to think about how you will answer key questions for each purpose. The questions for planning and evaluation are set out in the grid
below. Though they are very similar they need to be approached in a different order.
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Planning
Evaluation
•
What are the intended outcomes?
•
were the Intended Inputs made?
•
From the perspective of all the partners will the
outcomes be desirable?
•
were the intended outputs delivered?
•
did they lead to the intended outcomes?
•
in the context of the values and principles of
of volunteering, will the outcomes be desirable?
•
what other outcomes resulted?
•
from the perspective of all the partners, were
the outcomes desirable?
•
in the context of the values and principles of
Volunteering, were the outcomes
desirable?
•
were the outcomes achieved efficiently and
effectively?
•
what has been learned?
•
how will the lessons Influence, In future, the Inputs
that are made, the process that are adopted, the
outputs that are provided and the outcomes that are
sought?
•
what are the Intended Inputs?
•
what are the Intended processes to be used?
•
what are the Intended outputs to be delivered?
•
will these lead to the intended outcomes?
•
Can the outcomes be achieved efficiently and
effectively?
•
what other outcomes could result?
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About the tables
As the discussion of the model in section 1 indicates, the purposes of volunteering are described in the ‘Vision and Values – Mission and Aims’ statement of
Volunteer Centres Scotland and by the government in the strategy ‘Active Communities - Supporting Active Communities in Scotland’. The dimensions and
elements of each purpose set out in the tables have been developed drawing on these documents. Using authoritative sources, the framework therefore sets out a
clear view of the components of volunteering. Whilst a particular volunteer or worker may not be engaged in work on all the dimensions and elements it will be
common for volunteer centre/engaging agencies as whole to be involved in many and possibly all of them.
The tables provide illustrative examples of the kinds of micro processes and the sorts of outcomes that may be involved in volunteering. Because these reflect
the established practice methods, principles and purposes of volunteering, it is possible to present examples that are likely to be common to many and very often
all local situations.
However, the framework recognises that the detail of practice in any setting must be a product of the understanding of needs, the motivations and resources of the
local participants. The tables do not therefore prescribe particular inputs or output targets nor do they specify particular indicators that should be used. Thus
under the headings inputs, output targets, output indicators and outcome indicators we have put indicative columns which you will need to develop for your local
situation. You are expected to identify what will be relevant to the particular context of your planning and evaluation work. How this can be done is discussed
and illustrated later in this section.
In this handbook we firmly endorse the principles of partnership in developing volunteering but we also recognise that different actors have different stakes in the
partnership. For the purposes of developing the tables we have adopted a perspective that reflects the role of agencies and their workers whose task is to develop
and enable volunteering. They are likely to be the primary users of the manual though, as we have emphasised, they will engage with a wide range of disciplines
and sectors.
The detail of the tables is intended as a prompt or trigger to assist workers and agencies that develop and enable volunteering to work with partners at local level
to discuss and agree what it is they hope to achieve, how they will go about it and how they will evaluate their performance. Any volunteering plan or evaluation
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framework must bear the stamp of local priorities and the identity and motivations of the stakeholders involved. It must also make best use of the inputs that are
available.
The diagram overleaf is set out in the same way as each of the tables. The tables identify the purposes, dimensions and elements of volunteering. In relation to
each element, they illustrate the sorts of processes that may be adopted and the kinds of outcomes that may be sought. They also have indicative columns. These
identify those aspects of planning and evaluation that will be unique to your particular context and can therefore only be identified by you and your partners.
The tables are presented in the format illustrated below.
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Format of tables:
.
Box 1
Box 2
Each purpose is broken down into dimensions, the one
to which this table relates appears here
This box identifies the core purpose (or overall
process) of volunteering to which the table relates.
Column 1
Column 2
Column 3
Columns 4/5
Column 6
Column 7
Elements
Process e.g.s
Outcome e.g.s
This column breaks
down the dimension into
a series of elements that
describe particular types
or areas of activity you
may be involved in .
This column identifies
examples of the kind of
micro processes that may
be used to work on each
of the elements
identified
This column identifies
examples of the kind of
outcomes that you might
be seeking from work on
each of the elements
This column is the key to
locating yourself on the
map of volunteer
development and
volunteering
Y
O
U
R
I
N
P
U
T
S
This column is for
you and your
partners to
identify the inputs
that will be made
Y
O
U
R
Y
O
U
R
O
U
T
P
U
T
S
I
N
D
I
C
A
T
O
R
S
This column is for
you and your
partners to identify
the activities you
will engage in
Y
O
U
R
I
N
D
I
C
A
T
O
R
S
This column is for
you and your
partners to specify
how you will
monitor the outputs
This column is for you
and your partners to
identify the outcome
measures and
indicators you will use
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Contents of the tables:
Box 1
Purposes or overall processes
As we have seen LEAP identified three core purposes for volunteer development and volunteering. These also describe its overall processes of activity. There is
a set of tables relating to each core purpose
Box 2
Dimensions
Similarly we have identified that each core purpose can be broken down into its main component activities. These are called the dimension. There is one table
setting out what is involved in each dimension.
Column 1:
Elements
Each of the dimensions is broken down into several elements. In the case of the tables for enabling volunteers and developing volunteering, these set out the key
activities that workers undertake within each dimension of practice. In the case of the tables for achieving change they simply break the area of focus into more
specific categories. The elements identify areas of work that make up each of the dimensions that contribute to the overall purposes: enabling volunteers,
developing volunteering and achieving change. Whilst workers engaged in these tasks may be involved, at some point, with the large majority, and possibly all,
the elements identified, at any particular point in time their involvement will be focussed on a much more limited number of areas of activity. The elements
column therefore helps you to locate what you are currently needing to plan and evaluate. Once you have identified your focus you can then read across the
tables to find information about processes and outcomes that may be relevant to these elements
Indicative Column 2:
Your inputs
In section 1B page ? we discussed the character of inputs to volunteering. In any particular instance inputs will reflect local circumstances - the resources of the
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partners contributing to volunteering, particular local policy guidelines and so on. This column is therefore blank and provides you with space to identify with
your partners what the inputs will actually be in your setting in relation each relevant element of practice.
Column 3:
Example processes of volunteering
Here we illustrate specific types of things which workers are likely to do to implement work that relates to the elements of volunteering. For example workers
may provide training, organise events, undertake research or publicise volunteering. It is important to be clear that what we are focusing on here is examples of
the processes i.e. the manner in which volunteering is promoted.
Indicative Column 4:
Your Output Targets
In section 1B page ? we defined outputs as the specific products of the process activities involved in a project or programme. In column 3 it was possible to
identify the types of process that are employed in volunteering because these will be similar across all settings. However, the outputs are specific to particular
local circumstances. We have therefore left this column blank for you to work with your partners to identify the particular outputs you will seek. It is important
to remember that outputs are things that you can plan to achieve using the inputs available to you. They are things that are in your control. It is for this reason that
we have used the word targets. You can specify in advance what your work should produce. For example you may have an output target to produce an audit of
volunteering opportunities in a neighbourhood by a specified date. Similarly, you may set a target of ensuring that all leaflets used to develop and enable
volunteering are translated into minority ethnic languages within a year.
Indicative Column 5.
Your output indicators
Column 5 is blank because you will need to decide with your partners what measures and indicators are appropriate to monitor your performance in relation to
your output targets. The measures and indicators should tell you whether you have done what you intended and what the relationship is between what you have
done and the outcomes that resulted.
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On page ?ff we illustrate the development of such indicators and measures.
Column 6.
Examples of potential outcomes
Here we are concerned with the effects of volunteering - what develops or changes for individuals or communities. This column is very important because it
identifies the things that you hope volunteering may achieve for its users - does it make a difference, does it reflect the vision for volunteering? Hence, as we
have already stressed, in planning your work it is actually the outcomes which you wish to achieve which should be considered first. You can then identify the
process activities and outputs, which are likely to contribute most effectively to these objectives and the inputs that will be needed to, support them.
The column contains illustrations of how participants may benefit or change as a result of the stimulus of volunteering. The word ‘may’ is used because it is
essential to understand that there can be other significant influences which determine the outcomes. You therefore need to assess what the particular contribution
of volunteer development and/or volunteering has been. Equally you need to be aware that there may well be outcomes, good or bad, which you did not
anticipate or plan for.
It should be appreciated that particular outcomes may produce further outcomes in a chain reaction. Thus, for example, volunteers may be involved in a literacy
programme. The initial outcomes that they seek are skills in reading and writing but the beneficiaries of this can then use these new found skills for other
purposes – for example; further education and qualifications, leading in turn to a better job, higher income, greater family security and so on. Column 6 does not attempt to
provide more than illustrations of this chain process. Each volunteering intervention needs to explore its own effects. It also needs to be aware that direct
cause/effect relationships will be more difficult to demonstrate further down the chain. This is because more and more external factors may be having an impact
on what is actually happening. In the literacy example, for instance, it would be much more difficult to demonstrate the connections to greater family security
than to access to further learning.
Of course the outcomes identified in column 6 are all ones that you might hope your inputs would achieve. The examples presented are also ones that would be
desirable. It is quite probable that there will be outcomes that you have not anticipated and some may be undesirable. You need to trace these just as much as
those for which you planned. You also need to assess whether or not these outcomes have been beneficial. There is as much to learn from understanding
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unanticipated outcomes as ones that are planned. However, by definition, because they are not foreseen, they are never a component of the plan or the evaluation
framework. It is essential therefore be alert to identify what they are. There may be crucial learning here for future action - good things, achieved by accident,
may in future be planned, bad things may be avoidable.
Column 7:
Your outcome indicators
Column 7 is again a blank column. It is for you to identify with your partners, the criteria you will adopt to determine whether you have achieved the intended
outcomes. This is critical to the integrated cycle of continuous planning and evaluation.
Summary
The focus of the tables is on the primary macro process or purposes of volunteering.
Enabling Volunteers: is split into 4 dimensions:
5) Identify and engage with potential volunteers
6) Assess volunteer needs and aspirations and risks
7) Facilitate volunteering
8) Provide appropriate support to volunteers
Developing volunteering: is split into 3 dimensions:
4) Identify quality volunteering opportunities
5) Develop quality volunteering opportunities
6) Sustain quality volunteering opportunities
Achieving change: is split into 5 dimensions:
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6) Social
7) Environmental
8) Artistic/recreational/cultural/spiritual
9) Democratic
10) Economic
When you think about a piece of volunteering work that you are involved in you will almost certainly be able to locate it as involving one or more of these
dimensions.
The tables are there to help you think in more detail about what you are actually planning and evaluating. Hence, when you have located yourself on the map
they should help you think about your surroundings. This is done in three ways:
•
By breaking down each dimension into the more detailed areas of activity you might be involved in –the elements
•
By providing illustrative examples of the sorts of processes that you might be involved in
•
By illustrating the types of outcomes that might be sought
It will be helpful to begin by asking yourself:
o
Which purpose of volunteer development and volunteering I am now engaged in?
o
Which dimension or dimensions of this purpose are most relevant to what I am involved in?
o
Which elements of these dimensions correspond to what I am trying to do?
Once your focus is clear you can then go on to use the tables to think about the inputs, processes, outputs and outcomes
We have stressed that the dimensions and elements we have identified would be likely to be features of all volunteering practice. But we have also stressed that
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the processes and outcomes described in the tables are only illustrative. It is essential therefore to recognise that, with other stakeholders, you will need to
identify the particular outcomes that you are seeking and the inputs, processes and outputs that may lead to these.
To evaluate your practice you will need to consider how you will know whether the desired outputs and outcomes have been achieved and how efficient,
effective and equitable the process has been. You will need to identify how you will make a judgement about what changes have occurred. For this purposes you
will need measures or indicators and must be clear about the baseline from which you started.
Note on tables for Achieving Change
There is a difference of emphasis between the Achieving Change tables and the other two sets. They focus more on the ultimate benefits of volunteering whilst
those for Enabling Volunteers and Developing Volunteering focus more on the means to these ends. As was noted in part one different users of may tend to
emphasise different aspects of the LEAP framework. A volunteer centre that promotes volunteering may be more concerned with dimensions within the core
purposes Enabling Volunteers and Developing Volunteering whilst an agency that directly engages volunteers in practical action may focus more on their impact
on the quality of personal or community life and give particular attention to the Achieving Change dimensions.
The dimensions and elements of the Achieving Change set are common to other versions of LEAP that have been written for community learning and
community health and to the Achieving Better Community Development framework. The overall purposes of developing volunteering is to improve the quality
of personal and community life. It shares this objective with a wide range of other activities and contributes to wider strategies for community improvement. This
commonality can be very helpful in partnership working.
So what do we mean by quality of life?
Quality of life is determined by the environment in which we live - its economic, social, political, recreational, artistic, cultural, religious and physical
characteristics. There is no universally agreed definition of a satisfactory quality of life. Definitions reflect values. Within the value framework for volunteering,
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(see section ? page ?) a good quality of life would require positive answers to questions like these:
•
Are we able to meet our basic needs for food, shelter, clothing and sustain our personal health?
•
Do we have opportunity for fulfilling work?
•
Do we have opportunity for self expression and celebration of our identity?
•
Do we have opportunity for democratic participation and influence?
•
Can we lead our lives in safety?
•
Can we enjoy positive relations with others in the community?
•
Do we have access to justice?
•
Do we have equal access to essential services?
•
Do we have equality of opportunity and equality of treatment by public and private services?
Increasingly the idea of a good quality of life is associated with the idea of a healthy community. The World Health Organisation defines health as: “a state of
complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. This concept of health encompasses our range of social,
economic, political, environmental, cultural and artistic relationships. In the diagram below we have identified a healthy community as an overall aim.
Within this we suggest three broad characteristics which contribute to a healthy community:
•
sustainability - this refers to more than just whether the physical environment is being protected. It extends to whether our social, economic, political and
cultural infrastructure is stable and has lasting capacity to meet our needs and promote our well-being.
•
liveability - this concerns the sense of satisfaction and comfort with our life circumstances - where and how we live, work, take our recreation, get our
services and so on.
•
equity - this concerns our sense of the fairness of our treatment in a variety of dimensions of our lives including : employment, housing, access to services,
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recreation and so on.
Sustainability, liveability and equity are explicit concerns of a range of aspects of policy to which volunteering should relate, including: life long learning, social
inclusion, active citizenship, environmental protection, economic development, community care, health improvement, democratic renewal, equal opportunities.
Using the concept of a healthy community as the overall aim of quality of life improvement, and sustainability, liveability and equity as its defining
characteristics, we have identified a series of core dimensions of personal and community life, all of which can be enhanced by volunteering. These are the:
•
social
•
environmental
•
artistic, cultural and religious
•
democratic
•
economic
It is each of these aspects of the quality of personal and community life that are explored in the Achieving Change tables. Witin each of them we should
experience sustainability, liveability and equity.
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The Quality of Life Pyramid
AIM
A he althy
community
CHARACTERISTICS
Sustainable
Live able
Equitable
DIMENSIONS
Economic
Social
Environme ntal
Artistic/
cultural
De mocratic
Postscript
In sections 2 and 3 we have referred to several aspects of applying the planning and evaluation model that deserve further exploration. Hence in section 4 page
?ff, we consider issues in applying the model including; involving the stakeholders, leadership in planning and evaluation, continuity, efficiency, focus and
methods of collecting data.
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The Indicator Development Tables.
Core Purpose 1: Enabling volunteers: To help anyone who wants to do so to volunteer.
Dimensions:
o
Identify and engage with potential volunteers
o
Assess volunteer needs and aspirations and risks
o
Facilitate volunteering
o
Provide appropriate support to volunteers
Core Purpose 2: Developing volunteering: To ensure the best experience for volunteers.
Dimensions:
1.
Identify quality volunteering opportunities
2.
Develop quality volunteering opportunities
3.
Sustain quality volunteering opportunities
Core Purpose 3: Achieving Change: To develop and demonstrate positive outcomes from volunteering for individuals and communities.
Dimensions:
1.
Social
2.
Environmental
3.
Artistic/recreational/cultural/spiritual
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4.
Democratic
5.
Economic
Each core purpose has a different focus, the first is on the volunteers, the second on the agencies that use volunteers, the third on those who are intended to
benefit from volunteer involvement.
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Core Purpose 1: Enabling volunteers:
To help anyone who wants to do so to volunteer.
Dimensions 1:
Identify and engage with potential volunteers
Elements
Process e.g.s
Outcome e.g.s
1. Identify and create
volunteering
opportunities
Media campaigns,
publicity, advertising,
‘cold’ calling,
information packs,
video, web sites,
volunteer’s week
Informed and aware
people & communities
2. Target socially
excluded people not yet
participating in
volunteering
3. Establish initial
contact with potential
volunteers
Y
O
U
R
I
N
P
U
T
S
Analyse evidence to
identify relevant groups,
focus publicity, conduct
outreach recruitment
Information leaflets
visits, open meetings,
discussion groups
Y
O
U
R
Y
O
U
R
O
U
T
P
U
T
S
I
N
D
I
C
A
T
O
R
S
Equal opportunity and
social inclusion
principles in action,
greater equity
Opportunities created for
involvement.
Motivations stimulated
Y
O
U
R
I
N
D
I
C
A
T
O
R
S
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Core Purpose: Enabling volunteers
To help anyone who wants to do so to volunteer.
Dimensions 2:
Assess volunteer needs and aspirations and risks
Elements
Process e.g.s
Outcome e.g.s
1.Gather information on
motivation and interests
in volunteering
Individual interviews,
focus groups,
questionnaires
Skills and aptitudes
identified, matching
enabled for individuals
2. Gather information on
barriers to volunteering
3. Review data to assess
potential and support
needs of individual
volunteers
Y
O
U
R
I
N
P
U
T
S
Individual interviews,
focus groups,
questionnaires
Analyse evidence of
personal experience,
skills, aptitudes &
motivation to volunteer
4. Review data to
identify overall
volunteering potential.
Analyse evidence of
aggregate experience,
skills, aptitudes &
motivation to volunteer
5. Instigate screening
and risk protection
measures
Commission criminal
records checks, seek
references as appropriate
Y
O
U
R
Y
O
U
R
O
U
T
P
U
T
S
I
N
D
I
C
A
T
O
R
S
Myths and barriers
identified, remedial
action identified
Potential support needs
identified. Individual
placement enabled
Strategic planning and
deployment of volunteer
resources enabled.
Y
O
U
R
I
N
D
I
C
A
T
O
R
S
Safety for service users
and volunteers
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Core Purpose: Enabling volunteers
To help anyone who wants to do so to volunteer.
Dimensions 3:
Facilitate volunteering
Elements
Process e.g.s
Outcome e.g.s
1.Identifying and/or
create opportunities for
volunteering
Investigation,
networking, assessment,
recording
Effective use of
volunteer potential
2. Matching volunteers
with opportunities
3. Induction and
preparation of volunteers
4. Motivating
independent action
Y
O
U
R
I
N
P
U
T
S
Data management,
information provision,
assessment,
interviewing, liaison
with partners
Information provision,
training, ‘tasters’,
mentoring/buddying
Assessment, review and
reflection on action,
training,
Y
O
U
R
Y
O
U
R
O
U
T
P
U
T
S
I
N
D
I
C
A
T
O
R
S
Personal development of
volunteers, best use of
volunteer motivation and
skills, volunteer and
service user satisfaction
Motivated, confident and
competent volunteers,
volunteer and service
user satisfaction
Personal or group
development of
volunteers, capacity for
independent initiatives,
enhanced social capital
Y
O
U
R
I
N
D
I
C
A
T
O
R
S
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Core Purpose: Enabling volunteers
To help anyone who wants to do so to volunteer.
Elements
1.Ensure that practical
supports including
transport and expenses
are provided
2. Ensure supervision of
volunteers
3. Provide mentoring
opportunity through
experienced volunteers
Dimensions 4:
Provide appropriate support to volunteers
Process e.g.s
Y
O
U
R
I
N
P
U
T
S
Accessible transport
planning Efficient and
expense claim systems
Regular contact and
meetings
Pairing with mentors,
volunteer support groups
Outcome e.g.s
Y
O
U
R
Y
O
U
R
O
U
T
P
U
T
S
I
N
D
I
C
A
T
O
R
S
Barriers to involvement
are overcome
Y
O
U
R
Quality assurance,
volunteer development,
sustainability
I
N
D
I
C
A
T
O
R
S
Problems are identified
quickly Personal
confidence enhanced,
mutual support fostered
4. Enable volunteers to
access appropriate
training
Identifying external
training courses (e.g. FE
college), providing
bespoke training courses
Knowledge and skills are
developed, Confidence
enhanced. Users benefit
accordingly
5. Engage volunteers and
agencies in planning
their involvement
Procedures for involving
new volunteers.
Recorded action plans
Preparation is thorough,
confidence is built,
benchmarks are set for
reviews
6. Engage volunteers in
reviewing & evaluating
their involvement
Participatory evaluation
systems, 3/6 month
reviews
Volunteers and agencies
learn from experience,
learning is transferred
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Core Purpose 2: Developing volunteering :
To ensure best experience for volunteers.
Dimensions 1:
Identify quality volunteering opportunities
Elements
Process e.g.s
Outcome e.g.s
1.Promote potential of
volunteering with
relevant agencies
Information packs,
publicity, events, video,
volunteers week
Informed and aware
agencies
2. Establish initial
contact with potential
volunteer engagers
3. Identify gaps and
opportunities for
volunteering
4. Identify potential for
involvement of socially
excluded people and
those not yet involved in
volunteering
5. Assess strengths and
weaknesses of
opportunities for
volunteer involvement
Y
O
U
R
I
N
P
U
T
S
Information, leaflets,
reports, telephone, e
mail, meetings
Audits, research
questionnaires,
interviews
Drawing on knowledge
of relevant groups research attitudes and
opportunities
Analysis of date, review
with agencies and
potential volunteers
Y
O
U
R
Y
O
U
R
O
U
T
P
U
T
S
I
N
D
I
C
A
T
O
R
S
Promotion of culture of
active citizenship
Potential opportunities
identified for
involvement
Equal opportunity and
social inclusion
principles promoted
Y
O
U
R
I
N
D
I
C
A
T
O
R
S
Basis for effective
planning established
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Core Purpose : Developing volunteering
To ensure the best experience for volunteers
Elements
1. Establish working
relationship with
volunteer centre/
engaging agency
2. Develop action plans
for volunteer
involvement
Dimensions 2:
Develop quality volunteering opportunities
Process e.g.s
Y
O
U
R
I
N
P
U
T
S
Exploratory meetings
and communications
regarding volunteer
activity
Arrangement of details
of placements including
resources, activities,
frequency, character,
length of involvement
etc
Outcome e.g.s
Y
O
U
R
Y
O
U
R
O
U
T
P
U
T
S
I
N
D
I
C
A
T
O
R
S
Basis for effective
collaboration
Clarity of roles, effective
action , confident
volunteers, satisfied
users
3. Establish quality
assurance procedures
Arrangements for
supervision, support,
complaints, vetting
Confident, effective
volunteers, protection of
agencies and service
users
4. Provide advice for
volunteer engagers
Leaflets, guidance notes,
on-line information,
continuing contact
Confident, competent,
supportive agencies
5. Provide initial training
for volunteer
involvement
Accessing external
training opportunity,
providing bespoke
training
Confident, competent,
supportive agency staff
Y
O
U
R
I
N
D
I
C
A
T
O
R
S
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Core Purpose : Developing volunteering
To ensure the best experience for volunteers
Dimensions 3:
Sustain quality volunteering opportunities
Elements
Process e.g.s
Outcome e.g.s
1 Develop volunteer
involvement policies
with agencies
Workshops, meetings,
drafting papers
Enhanced service to
agency users, partnership
development
2. Develop ongoing
training programmes for
volunteer engaging
agencies
3. Agree and implement
quality improvement
procedures
Y
O
U
R
I
N
P
U
T
S
Access external training
and bespoke provision
Participatory, planning,
monitoring, evaluation
& review procedures
with agencies
4. Promote collaborative
working
Develop partnership
agreements (including
shared value & standards
statements)
5. Record and publicise
good practice
Reports, articles,
presentations, audio
visual material, web sites
Y
O
U
R
Y
O
U
R
O
U
T
P
U
T
S
I
N
D
I
C
A
T
O
R
S
Skilled, knowledgeable
& effective engagement
of volunteers
Continuous
improvement of
experience for volunteers
agency and service users
More effective use of
resources, shared values
and practices
Y
O
U
R
I
N
D
I
C
A
T
O
R
S
Transfer of learning
from experience,
reinforcement of good
practice, good publicity
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Core Purpose : Achieving Change
To develop and demonstrate positive outcomes from
volunteering for individuals and communities
Elements
Dimensions 1:
Social benefits
Process e.g.s
1. Health
Y
O
U
R
2. Community care
I
N
P
U
T
S
Volunteer involvement
in community health
projects, healthy living
centers, food coops,
breakfast clubs
Volunteer involvement
in carer support and care
services (e.g. luncheon
clubs, day care)
3. Social and recreational
development
Volunteer involvement
in playschemes, sports
clubs/leisure provision,
community festivals
4. Housing
Volunteer involvement
on boards of community
based housing
associations, community
self build schemes
Outcome e.g.s
Y
O
U
R
Y
O
U
R
O
U
T
P
U
T
S
I
N
D
I
C
A
T
O
R
S
Personal health gains,
changed attitudes to
health, reduced demand
on health services,
reduced health inequality
Care needs met, reduced
stress or isolation, social
networks developed
Social networks and
social capital developed,
personal growth,
strengthened
communities,
community diversity
celebrated
Y
O
U
R
I
N
D
I
C
A
T
O
R
S
Well managed housing ,
personal security, better
health
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Core Purpose : Achieving Change
To develop and demonstrate positive outcomes from
volunteering for individuals and communities
Dimensions 2:
Environmental benefits
Elements
Process e.g.s
Outcome e.g.s
1. Physical resources
Volunteer involvement
in land reclamation, tree
planting, cycle and
footpath development,
waste recycling.
More attractive
environment, increased
liveability, better use of
resources, reduced
pollution, better health
Y
O
U
R
2. Environmental
services
3. Safety and security
I
N
P
U
T
S
Volunteer involvement
in campaigns for better
waste disposal/recycling,
improved public
transport
Volunteer involvement
in crime prevention,
victim support, self
defense, refuges for
abused women and
children, community
safety campaigns
Y
O
U
R
Y
O
U
R
O
U
T
P
U
T
S
I
N
D
I
C
A
T
O
R
S
Reduced pollution,
increased satisfaction
and liveability, increased
sense of security, more
efficient use of income
Reduced fear, improved
mental and physical
health, reduced crime
and associated personal
and economic benefits,
liveability, sustainability
& equity of community
Y
O
U
R
I
N
D
I
C
A
T
O
R
S
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Core Purpose : Achieving Change
To develop and demonstrate positive outcomes from
volunteering for individuals and communities
Dimensions 3:
Artistic/recreational/cultural/spiritual benefits
Elements
Process e.g.s
Outcome e.g.s
1.Opportunity for artistic
expression and
participation
Volunteer involvement
in supporting personal
and community
development through
drama, dance, film,
painting and other
artistic activities
Personal fulfillment,
diversity of expression,
better communication,
celebration of talent,
entertainment &
pleasure, livable &
sustainable communities
2. Opportunity for
recreational & sporting
activity
3.Freedom of cultural
and religious expression
Y
O
U
R
I
N
P
U
T
S
Volunteer involvement
in supporting sports and
recreational groups,
clubs and activities (e.g.
coaching, refereeing,
administration)
Volunteer involvement
in cultural/religious
organisations, festivals
& celebrations,
community and race
relations
Y
O
U
R
Y
O
U
R
O
U
T
P
U
T
S
I
N
D
I
C
A
T
O
R
S
Health gains, social
inclusion, personal
development, social
networks, livable &
sustainable communities
Assertion and
celebration of identity
and diversity, enhanced
self confidence, conflict
resolution, equity, social
networks, spiritual
fulfillment
Y
O
U
R
I
N
D
I
C
A
T
O
R
S
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Core Purpose : Achieving Change
To develop and demonstrate positive outcomes from
volunteering for individuals and communities
Dimension 4:
Democratic benefits
Elements
Process e.g.s
Outcome e.g.s
1. Representative
democracy
Engage volunteers in
political activities,
community councils,
civic education projects
Stronger more legitimate
political institutions,
public awareness of
political processes and
decision making, better
engagement between
electorate & politicians
2. Participatory
democracy
3. Organisational
democracy
Y
O
U
R
I
N
P
U
T
S
Engage volunteers in
community participation
in decision making (e.g.
area forums, community
planning, school boards)
& lobbying groups,
campaigning activities
Engage volunteers in
training/education or
mentoring for
community groups &
activists (e.g. on
constitutions & decision
making)
Y
O
U
R
Y
O
U
R
O
U
T
P
U
T
S
I
N
D
I
C
A
T
O
R
S
Devolution , enhanced
personal & community
confidence, capacity &
influence, more
responsive decision
making, more equitable,
sustainable communities
Y
O
U
R
I
N
D
I
C
A
T
O
R
S
More accountable,
equitable community
groups with strong
leadership. Strong base
for partnerships and
community investment,
more sustainability
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Core Purpose : Achieving Change
To develop and demonstrate positive outcomes from
volunteering for individuals and communities
Dimensions 5:
Economic benefits
Elements
Process e.g.s
Outcome e.g.s
1. Learning and personal
development
opportunities
Volunteer involvement
in literacy and basic
skills, school support
projects, community
learning initiatives
Improved knowledge
skills and confidence,
access to employment,
improved incomes,
improved school
performance
2. Anti-poverty
3. Economic activity
Y
O
U
R
I
N
P
U
T
S
Volunteer involvement
in credit unions, food
cooperatives, benefits
information services,
money advice
Volunteer involvement
in Local Enterprise
Trading Schemes, boards
of directors of
community companies
Y
O
U
R
Y
O
U
R
O
U
T
P
U
T
S
I
N
D
I
C
A
T
O
R
S
More efficient use of
limited incomes, better
quality diets, access to
benefit entitlements,
reduced stress, enhanced
health, social inclusion
Access to services,
employment and
earning opportunities,
community owned assets
Y
O
U
R
I
N
D
I
C
A
T
O
R
S
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Section 4
Issues in using the framework
A Applying the model
In this section we explore issues in applying the LEAP planning and evaluation model in practice. The following themes are considered:
•
participation
•
leadership
•
continuity
•
efficiency
•
policy, programme and project levels
•
collecting data
This section leads into a more detailed look at how the model can be used for planning, management and supervision, and review and improvement of practice.
Participation Stakeholders and ownership
In relation to both planning and evaluation we have already stressed that this is an activity in which others participate. They do so because they have a stake in
what happens either as contributors to volunteer development and volunteering or as beneficiaries. This emphasis on participation does no more than reflect
underlying values of volunteer development and volunteering.
Definition:
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72
Stakeholders are all those people with an active interest in the inputs, process, outputs and outcomes of a particular volunteer development and volunteering
activity.
The stakeholders will include:
•
volunteers
•
workers and managers in volunteer centres/engaging agencies,
•
agencies deploying volunteers
•
people with whom volunteers work
•
resource providers
•
policy makers.
At the earliest opportunity all those with a legitimate interest in the activity and who wish to do so, should be engaged in joint consideration of:
•
what should be achieved and how it will be done
•
how and by whom performance in relation to objectives will be evaluated.
It is vital to appreciate that involving stakeholders must not be a token gesture. If people and agencies are to be true partners they need to have a sense of
engagement in a shared endeavour. Their role and authority must be respected. There will be different perspectives to be accommodated. There will often need
to be negotiation over priorities, commitment of resources, time scales, methods of working and other matters. Stakeholders are motivated to participate because
they recognise that joint working may improve their capacity to achieve particular outcomes. They will usually recognise however, that there has to be “tradeoff” for these benefits. This will involve them in deploying resources to support the desired outcomes of other partners.
It should be recognised that there may be substantial inequities affecting the capacity of different stakeholders to participate. For example, despite the rhetoric of
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empowerment, there is extensive recognition in the literature on participation that service users frequently have a weak voice. Volunteers too can feel that their
views are not given weight despite the commitment that they make. Whilst agency staff have back up access to administrative systems, research and information
resources, volunteers and service users frequently do not. Yet to play their role fully such support may be necessary. Those who are members of excluded groups
may have particular difficulties placed in the way of their participation - barriers of language, physical access or cost for example. The underlying commitment of
volunteer development and volunteering to a participative approach should alert it to the need to invest in effective support for effective participation. This
should equalise the relationship between stakeholders.
The model, and particularly the tables, set out a framework of ideas which can be a basis for negotiation between stakeholders. Though the tables lay out a core
set of dimensions and elements for enabling volunteers, promoting volunteering and achieving change, they only set out illustrations of processes and outcome
and require users to identify their own inputs, output targets and indicators, and outcome indicators. Thus the framework is not prescriptive. Stakeholders need to
agree what is important and relevant to their context, resources and needs. Every application of this model will therefore produce different variants on the basic
framework.
Leadership championing planning and evaluation
It is essential to recognised that for planning and evaluation to be participative, a variety of stakeholders must be involved. Nonetheless there will be a need for
leadership. Often this will operate, at least in the initial stages, at quite an informal level. In some circumstances the role may be more formal and designated to
a particular individual or agency.
Whether informal or formal, such leadership has to reflect the principles of equity of participation and influence. Thus its function is not to dominate or direct the
form or process of planning and evaluation but to enable it to happen efficiently and effectively. The following are key roles:
•
championing the principles of participative planning and evaluation - this involves promoting and reminding participants of its importance and benefits,
securing resources and defending good practice principles.
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•
encouraging the involvement of all stakeholders, facilitating and supporting their participation - this involves general encouragement to participation and
may include specific training and capacity building to enable all stakeholders to participate on an equal footing.
•
chasing progress and co-ordinating contributions - this involves clear understanding of timetables of work, clarity about the agreed contributions of
different stakeholders, commitment to holding all parties to account.
Such a leadership role needs to be accepted and approved by all the participants. It can only be undertaken by consent of the other parties. Consent is likely to be
withheld by stakeholders if the leadership offered does not serve their needs. It is therefore a task which may demand diplomacy skills.
The leadership role is likely to fall to staff of key agencies involved in volunteer development and volunteering whether at policy, programme or project level
Continuity building planning and evaluation into our work
Evaluation should not be seen as an event. It is an activity which should inform the development and direction of volunteer development and volunteering as a
process on a continuing basis. This approach is sometimes termed formative evaluation and contrasted with the idea of summative evaluation.
Definitions:
•
Formative evaluation: evaluation which is ongoing and feeds back continuously into the planning process
•
Summative evaluation: evaluation of a policy, programme or project on its completion based on the overall evidence available
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There will of course be times when we require a summative approach, for example, at the end of a funding cycle. However, LEAP emphasises a commitment to
formative approaches. Hence evaluation should be integral to all practice. It is not an additional chore - it is a core part of practice itself. Without it we lack
reference points to make critical judgements about where we should be going, how we should be going about it and where we have got to.
The simple analogy of the journey used at the start of these guidance notes illustrates the point. The analogy is a deliberate caricature. Nonetheless, it makes
some basic points about the importance of on-going monitoring and evaluation, in partnership with both other providers and participants in volunteer
development and volunteering. The analogy points to the fact that it is valuable to have maps but that experience and learning, based on systematic review of
recorded evidence, advance understanding of the complexities and choices to be made.
In a sense the tables offer practitioners and agencies a basic map of volunteer development and volunteering. The tables relate to the core purposes of volunteer
development and volunteering: enabling volunteers, promoting volunteering and achieving change. These core purposes set the overall destinations of the
volunteer development and volunteering journey. The dimensions, element and processes identify in increasingly greater detailed what may be involved in the
journey. The outcomes identify criteria for assessing whether the journey has been worthwhile in particular situations.
Since our volunteer development and volunteering journeys often have long time-scales or may even be almost continuous, we need constant feedback and
information. There will nonetheless be critical points in the process which require particular attention. For example, these may be the ends of funding or
planning cycles, the significance of particular events such as an agency policy review or an annual general meeting. However, it is not good enough to do
infrequent evaluations of progress because we need to know where we are all the time and how this relates to what we are trying to achieve.
But is this realistic. Will we spend all our time collecting information instead of getting on with the journey?
Efficiency good planning and evaluation with
minimum effort
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It is frequently assumed that implementing a planning and evaluation strategy is going to be a drain on resources. In the short run it will be necessary to divert
resources to establish skills and set up systems. But this should not be a long term problem. Indeed understanding what sorts of actions are effective and efficient
is designed, in the long run, to make better use of resources. The problem is not that the time is not available. Rather, because there is sometimes little clarity and
agreement on what the outcomes are intended to be, records are not co-ordinated. Nor are they used to monitor evidence which is relevant to the assessment of
progress on commonly agreed objectives. More attention is needed to purposeful record keeping which will contribute to the build up of evidence for evaluation.
This can frequently be built in to established recording such as:
•
minutes of agency and community group meetings or user forums
•
surveys and reports prepared by a range of agencies about local needs
•
funding applications and progress reports
•
reports for agency management committees
•
newspapers report on local events
•
training course evaluation forms
•
records of requests for assistance
•
statistics of participation in activities
Simple devices like standing agenda items in committee or partnership meetings, which require recording of progress against specified outcomes, provide an on
going record. Similarly agreement between agencies about the categories under which information is kept allows them to share and draw on each other’s
evidence. Every management committee can be seen at least in part as a focus group. Every funding application is an opportunity to pull information together for
other purposes as well. At first such devices take time to establish but they can be built in to how work is conducted and provide records of progress over time as
perceived from different standpoints.
What is happening is that evaluation is becoming an integral part of practice rather than an additional chore. It needs to be undertaken in a planned and conscious
manner. It need not be onerous if adequate thought is given to it. For example, a participant in the consultation for this framework sent us a simple pictorial
“mind map” recording system. A participant in the ABCD programme (from which this framework is derived - see section 4C page ?) uses a model tree which
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has roots representing inputs, a trunk, the process and grows and bears branches and leaves on which are recorded outputs and outcomes. The message is you
can do evaluation systematically and seriously but keep it simple and even make it fun!
In thinking about how to use these materials start by looking, with all the stakeholders, at what is already done and how it may be developed or adjusted to
contribute to an integrated system for gathering evidence. Identify gaps and consider how they can most efficiently be filled in a manner which is integrated into
everyday practice. Make the methods as attractive and simple as possible.
The experience of both the ABCD community development evaluation programme and LEAP in other sectors has been illuminating. Most participants, when
introduced to the programme, felt that it would be excessively time consuming. Most of those who have implemented it have found that this is not the case.
Participants have realised that both they and other participants keep a wide range of records. These could, if effectively constructed and used, provide evidence
to enable assessment of progress in relation to intended outputs and outcomes.
Levels of evaluation policy, programme and project
Different groups of participants have different needs and interests. We have noted that these need to be negotiated between stakeholders. It is important too to
recognise that stakeholders are sometimes interested in evaluation at different levels, Some wish to focus on what is happening in particular local volunteering
initiatives. We call this the project level. Others wish to know about the overall range of volunteering activities in an area. We call this the programme level.
Finally, others wish to know whether the political guidance and resourcing which underpins these levels assists or hinders the achievement of the intended
outputs and outcomes. We call this the policy level.
This framework can be adapted to the needs of all three levels. In setting out the purposes, dimensions and elements of volunteer development and volunteering
it provides a framework for thinking about how programmes or projects will be conducted and evaluated. Equally it helps to identify the necessary components
of an enabling policy. The materials have been set out with the degree of detail in relation to process which is required for application at project level. This level
is the primary target of the framework. Though projects sometimes exist in isolation, they are most commonly the components of wider programmes. It will be
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aggregate evidence from these projects which will enable programmes to be evaluated. The programme level is therefore the second target of the framework.
Evidence about the performance of programmes will lead to consideration of the degree to which the specific policy context for volunteer development and
volunteering has facilitated effective practice and how far programmes and their component project have achieved the intentions of policy. The policy level is
the third target. Overall, the framework is intended to support integrated evaluation between the three levels.
Different stakeholders have interests at different levels though many will recognise the importance of all three. Funders, volunteer development agencies and
senior managers of user agencies will often be primarily concerned with policy and programme levels. But individual volunteers, service users or operational
staff may be more interested in specific projects in their areas. However they will also often be aware that the potential at project level is significantly determined
by the design of the programme and the policy and resource framework. It is essential therefore that all parties recognise the importance of all three levels and the
connections between them. Policies should facilitate effective programmes and projects. Programmes and projects should inform the development of policy.
The issue of resources and their allocation is central to the relationship between policies, programmes and projects. Few people engaged in volunteer
development and volunteering would describe their resources as adequate. It is in the nature of an activity which aspires to improve the quality of life that it can
always see further potential. One of the major purposes of evaluation is to explore the best way to use the resources which are available and to present sound
evidence to influence resource allocation.
Collecting Data getting the information you need
Data is needed for two purposes:
1.
To identify current conditions. We call this the baseline
2.
To provide evidence of change relative to the baseline
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Hence data is needed at the start of evaluation and needs to be collected continuously in the process of the work. It is important to recognise that the baseline
against which we evaluate progress will need to be revised from time to time in the light of development. In other words we may have periodic reviews of
evidence to establish where we have got to and use that as a new baseline against which to measure progress in the next period.
There are three basic ways to get information. They are:
•
to observe
•
to ask questions
•
to consult existing records
No one approach will meet all needs, so it is normal to choose more than one method. The advantages and disadvantages of each approach, and some of the
ways they could be used, are as follows.
Observation
In this approach, the evaluator is present, watches events and actions, and writes down, films or tape-records what happens. Actually being there has obvious
benefits. There are some problems, though. First, by being present, the observer may affect what happens. Second, it can be hard to observe, and take accurate
notes at the same time. Third, what the observer records may be biased by his or her own views of what is important. Fourth, the observer can only be in one
place at a time and may not be present at some important events
Other sources of information are based on observation. For example the records of meetings taken by participants will be based on their own observations. Such
records are subject to the strengths and weaknesses described.
Asking Questions
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Asking questions is a good way of finding out information, and getting a range of comments from people involved or affected by a programme. There are many
ways it can be done:
•
Written questionnaires, ranging from the formal ones with boxes to tick, to informal ones which invite general comments and responses. They can be
used with funders, workers or service users
•
Asking questions face to face with individuals. Again, the approach may be formal or informal, and it could be used with any of the interested parties
•
A very powerful form of questioning is to work with groups. These may be existing service user groups or community organisations, volunteer groups,
members of several organisations, or mixed groups of service users, volunteers, project workers and programme managers. The advantage is that this
allows different views to be expressed, discussed and explored. It can be a good way of getting a sophisticated view of what is happening. There are
many methods available to maximise involvement in such group evaluation, and to make sure every voice is heard.
Consulting existing records
A lot of useful information will already be available, although it is not always easy to get. Census information, agency statistics, funding applications, policy
documents, records of meetings, newspaper reports all have their place. However, they are not written for the purposes of evaluation so they will not always
provide the right sort of information. If it is intended to use existing records it is important to think about how they will be used and how readily they are
available.
Projects and programmes can help themselves by setting up a good internal recording system. This can include project plans, reports on meetings and reviews,
weekly or monthly records of activity and progress, reports to committees or funders, reports on resources, and information about the needs of the people with
whom it is working. Guidelines are available to help projects with this type of recording.
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B
Implications for planning, management and supervision, review and improvement
Planning
Planning and evaluation are indivisible activities. Evaluation cannot be conducted systematically unless it relates to a clear plan of action. This has been assumed
throughout these notes:
•
it is reflected in the title of the handbook.
•
the model is located in the general context of community planning
•
the model is located within the specific processes of developing and reviewing volunteer development and volunteering plans and strategies
•
the identification of the outcomes of practice is presented in the model as the basis for future planning and resource allocation
The purpose of this section is not therefore to repeat what has been an explicit element of the guidelines as a whole but to offer brief additional comment on how
the package can be used for planning as well as evaluation. The following are key points:
•
the core purposes of volunteer development and volunteering - enabling volunteers, promoting volunteering and achieving change - are statements of
direction that are intended to inform the preparation of strategies and plans for volunteer development and volunteering.
•
the package breaks down the core purposes of volunteer development and volunteering by identifying dimensions, elements and specific examples of
processes in volunteer development and volunteering. These are a framework which should assist agencies and their partners to think about what they are
going to do as much as to think about what their work has achieved. In other words, planning of volunteer development and volunteering should use the
same framework as that adopted for its evaluation.
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•
emphasis is given to identification of the outcomes which result from the deployment of resources/inputs for practice. It is only in the light of adequate
evidence of the effects and benefits of practice employing specified inputs, that agencies can engage effectively in the continuous cycle - plan, act, review,
plan.
The dimensions and elements reflect common understanding in the field of the component parts of achieving the purposes set for volunteer development and
volunteering. The processes presented are illustrations of a range of options which any provider might adopt. The outcomes suggested relate specifically to the
effects which might arise. A volunteer development and volunteering plan can be built on this framework. A volunteer development and volunteering plan
should:
•
be drawn up in partnership with all the stakeholders
•
demonstrate how it will achieve the purposes of volunteer development and volunteering - securing investment, enabling volunteering, building
commitment to volunteer involvement and achieving improvement in the quality of life of service users and communities.
•
demonstrate how all the dimensions and elements of volunteer development and volunteering will be delivered by specifying particular outputs
•
indicate the intended outcomes of each of the outputs
•
identify the resources which will be deployed to achieve these outputs and outcomes
•
specify how on-going self-evaluation will be conducted, on a participative basis, to assess performance relative to the plan
A critical question is whether plans will be resource or need led?
Resources led planning is guided by what agencies feel able or willing to provide.
Need led planning starts by specifying problems. It builds a plan which deploys resources to respond effectively to those needs.
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RESOURCE
PLAN
INVESTIGATE
ENVISION
ACT
PLAN
RESOURCE
ACT
It is obvious that the former is less likely to satisfy aspiration of individuals or communities. To be consistent with the participative and empowering values of
volunteer development and volunteering (see section 1B page ?) planning should clearly be need led. But need led approaches are also in evidence in policy for a
range of activities relevant to the development of volunteering. For example: it is illustrated in the principles of community planning in which COSLA and the
Scottish Executive refer to “identifying the needs of individuals and communities” and “assessing how they can best be addressed”. Similarly, ‘Modernising
Community Care’ (Scottish Office 1998) promotes the principle of local partnerships which: “should develop to reflect the needs of the area”.
Constructing a need led approach to planning requires that we first of all investigate what the experiences, aspirations and concerns of volunteers and service
users are. The second dimension of the tables for enabling volunteers focuses on volunteer needs. Whilst, element three of the first dimension of the tables
promoting volunteering highlights the importance of understanding the opportunities for volunteering, all of the achieving change tables are designed to focus
attention on the needs that volunteer activity may address. In identifying needs and aspirations we should also acknowledge that we may discover there may be
rights which are not protected. However, it is not sufficient simply to identify needs, aspirations and rights which are not met. To develop an effective plan we
require a clear vision of what should change to redress the problems identified. So we need to envision, in partnership with the other stakeholders, the outcomes
which we will seek. Once those have been identified it is then possible to return to the planning of outputs and the deployment of resource inputs.
However, it is also essential to temper vision with reality. If agencies do not have the skills, knowledge or resources to respond to particular needs they will not
be effective. There is no point in creating a pretence that a need can be met if the capacity does not exist. The only result will be failure and probably anger that
people have felt let down. It is important therefore to also have a clear appreciation of the strengths which different stakeholders bring and to look for the best
ways of building on these.
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Whilst a need led approach should predominate, healthy short term pragmatism may be necessary. This should be based on negotiation with the stakeholders,
prioritising needs which they have real potential to address. This is not the same thing as saying that the existing patterns of resource use by agencies should
determine what they do! The result of this is that we do what we always did and get what we always got - never mind whether it was relevant to people’s needs!
Rather agencies should look at what aspects of need they can meet within existing capacity and develop longer term strategies to acquire competence and
resources to meet other needs. This may either involve strategic partnerships with others who do have the skills and resources or development of in-house
capacity through training and volunteer and staff development.
Even then no plan can respond to all needs. Negotiating and setting priorities is essential.
Management and supervision
Having clear and mutually agreed criteria for measuring the progress of intervention not only facilitates planning and evaluation, it should also be helpful for
management of staff, volunteers and other resources. However, some organisational structures and management practices are more likely than others to enable
the achievement of volunteer development and volunteering purposes. The following diagrams illustrate alternatives:
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Diagram 1:
Resource led
Management
Senior
M an agers
Opera t iona l
St aff
Volu nt ee rs
Com m un it y/
I ndividua l use rs
Diagram 2:
Need led
Management
Se nior
M a na ge rs
Opera t iona l
St a ff
Volunt e ers
Com m un it y/ I n dividua l u sers
Managers
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Diagram 1 presents a conventional bureaucratic view of an organization. Here, senior managers set policies, operational staff implement these policies by
exercising control over deployment of volunteers who, in turn, deliver the service to users in the community. However, in volunteer development and
volunteering an approach which responds much more effectively to the concerns of users is required (diagram 2). Here, the volunteers are working in partnership
with users to understand needs and aspirations, identify and implement effective strategies for change. The role of the operational staff is to support and enable
effective practice and to act as the link between practice and strategic planning and policy development. Policy should in large part be developed in the light of
understanding of user and community needs and aspirations gained through the contact of volunteers with individual users and community organisations.
However as the diagram illustrates, senior and operational staff also need to retain active contact with the community and service users. It is important to
appreciate that their contacts will be with a wide range of volunteers and service users. This enables them to take an overview of needs and aspirations. Strategic
policy is developed in the light of this broad range of evidence which enables issues of equity to influence priorities and resource allocation.
In the need led approach, volunteers are not therefore simply servants of a hierarchical system, nor are users simply beneficiaries. Both are participants whose
knowledge and experience contributes centrally to policy and priority setting. It is essential for managers to enable them participate effectively. From this
viewpoint, good management therefore involves active listening and creation of space for initiative. But, managers and policy makers also have responsibility
for an equitable use of resources across the whole community served by the agency. In addition, the outcomes which volunteer development and volunteering
seeks are not just defined by the motivations and interests of the participants, though these must always be central. As the LEAP model recognises the wider
government policy framework and the values of volunteer development and volunteering also exert major influence. Identifying what volunteer development
and volunteering will seek to achieve, and how it will do it, is necessarily a product of negotiation and must take account of the resources which are available.
This is the basis for development of volunteer development and volunteering strategies and plans. Whilst managers and policy makers must have authority to
take decisions and offer direction, their credibility will depend on the their decisions, and the principles and evidence on which they are based, being open to
scrutiny and demonstrably fair.
Successful practice is dependent on policy makers, workers and users of volunteers agreeing priorities and methods. Management of volunteer development and
volunteering needs to resolve any tensions between user responsiveness, volunteer aspirations, policy goals and practitioner values. Management practices, in
which authority and control are centralised and vertical, are not compatible with this consensual approach. Though it may be more demanding, an approach
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characterized by participation, dialogue and open decision making is essential. This does not mean that management does not exercise authority or ensure
accountability, but it does so within a common understanding of the principles, purposes and methods of volunteer development and volunteering. Key
management roles are to:
•
engage participation of all stakeholders,
•
facilitate definition and agreement of outcomes and related outputs,
•
allocate resources to achieve the outcomes of volunteer development and volunteering
•
support staff and volunteers engaged in the delivery of programmes and projects which seek to achieve these outputs and outcomes
•
supervise and hold staff to account for the delivery of these projects and programmes
How then can the LEAP package assist in the development of effective and responsive management and supervision? It can:
•
provide a framework within which the stakeholders can be engaged in negotiating, agreeing and planning the outputs and outcomes
•
provide managers, staff and volunteers with clarity about priorities
•
enable clear identification, with volunteers, staff, users and partner providers, of responsibilities for delivery
•
enable strategic allocation of resources in collaboration with other stakeholders
•
enable managers to have a clear view of the operational responsibilities and objectives of particular volunteers or groups of volunteers
•
ensure that there is a clear framework within which volunteers can be held to account for the quality of their practice
•
ensure that workers feel that the work for which they are to be held accountable relates to the needs of the individuals and communities with whom they
work
•
enable the identification of volunteer development needs relevant to the purposes of the programme or project
This list emphasises that management should be a “two way street”. Volunteers and participants have a right to expect that the exercise of authority within
agencies will be consistent with the agreed policies, plans and strategies to which they have contributed. Equally managers have a right to expect that staff and
volunteers will operate within these priorities. However both have to recognise that their work takes place in a changing context and that effective practice has to
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be responsive to changing needs and changing perceptions of what it is appropriate to be doing about them. It is here that the role of continuous integrated
evaluation comes into play.
Volunteers and volunteer using agencies should be engaged in collection of evidence about performance throughout their work. This evidence is the basis on
which progressive supervision and support can be conducted. Volunteers are feeding to managers the evidence of their experience in order to continually review:
•
how work is being undertaken
•
what it is being directed towards
•
what skills, knowledge or other resources are required
•
what implications there are for current policies, strategies and plans
At one level supervision needs to be a regular programmed activity for each volunteer addressing both their personal accountability and their development needs.
However, given that individuals frequently contribute to different aspect of the quality of community life through team work it may also need to be conducted on
this basis.
Review and improvement
It will be apparent from the previous sections that the benefits of integrated planning and evaluation are to be found in increased effectiveness and efficiency.
Key mechanisms in achieving this are review of evidence and identification of ways of improving performance.
There is a danger, however, of reviewing evidence in a mechanistic manner which simply reflects the organisational convenience and planning cycles of
providers rather than the priorities of service users and volunteers. The rhythms and pace of particular development will require flexible responses which reflect
the needs of particular programmes and projects. This is merely a reflection of the general principle that volunteer development and volunteering should be a
need led and responsive activity.
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There is therefore a balance to be struck between review and developmental improvements for long term strategic purposes and more immediate responses to
needs.
To be credible within the values and principles of volunteer development and volunteering, mechanisms for review must be participative. They need to recognise
that partnership is about shared endeavour between a range of stakeholders whose relationship to one another is based on mutual respect and understanding.
Whilst it may seem simpler for the volunteer development agency to take responsibility, the exclusion of other partners is likely to be a source of tension and
conflict. Their involvement is a legitimate recognition of the investment which they make. In this context it is vital to recognise that volunteers are just as much
investors in achieving change as the volunteer development workers or the agencies that provide volunteering opportunities. Though it is not the only important
ingredient, their time, energy and commitment is essential to successful outcomes. It is essential too to be clear that the ultimate judges of the value of activity are
the service users whom they were intended to benefit.
Review processes are therefore likely to involve activities such as:
•
volunteer conferences
•
stakeholder conferences
•
service user focus groups
•
questionnaires and surveys
The methods used to engage participation in review of progress must recognise differences in experience and power between participants. It is essential that
methods are used which enable the voices of all participants to be heard. Token participation which disempowers some participants, most usually service users
and volunteers have to be avoided.
The following are useful principles:
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•
support individuals and groups to participate
•
help participants to prepare for events
•
provide training opportunities
•
involve participants from the outset
•
bring in new participants as they become active
•
use familiar settings
•
agree clear objectives from the outset against which review will take place
•
agree realistic objectives and time scales against which review will take place
•
allow plenty of time for the process
•
keep the structures and processes simple
Out of the process of review should emerge:
•
key issues
•
action priorities
•
identification of resources to take action forward
•
identification of gaps in resource and means of filling them
The products of the review process are the basis for identifying the means to improve performance. This includes identifying the developmental needs of
participants:
•
what skills and knowledge do volunteers, workers, managers, volunteer using agencies lack?
•
how can these be met?
•
who can meet these needs?
•
can they be built in to future volunteer development and volunteering plans and strategies?
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It is important in identifying development needs to recognise that in a partnership approach it is both the volunteers and recruiting and deploying agency staff
who have development needs. Very often these can be met within the pool of resources available for exchange between the stakeholders. Hence responding
developmentally to the lessons arising from evaluation is a shared task which may well cross organisational boundaries. Thus, performance improvement, based
on reviewing the evidence gathered through evaluation, is potentially a mutual activity. External sources of assistance will nonetheless frequently be helpful.
Clearly, within volunteer centres/engaging agencies, the identification of development needs should be tied back into management and supervision of staff and
volunteers. One of the key functions of good management is to resource and support the development of staff and volunteers and assist them to apply their
learning. It is also important to be clear that senior managers and policy makers have development needs which will become apparent in the process of
evaluation. Their needs must also be met.
C
The framework and other quality assurance and evaluation systems
General Approach
It sometimes seems as if evaluation and quality assurance have come to dominate practice rather than support it. In preparing this package we have been aware of
the need to make it accessible and straightforward and to make it the servant not the master of activities. It has been important therefore to ensure that the
framework works well in tandem with other quality assurance requirements and other evaluation systems already in use.
If volunteer development and volunteering are to be developed as a partnership activity between agencies and disciplines we must recognise that there will be a
range of other frameworks which different partners will already be using some of which may be obligatory. For instance, public services are subject to Best
Value review. There are evaluation schemes for different aspects of health services, schools or community Initiatives such as Social Inclusion Partnerships for
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example. Specific forms of evaluation are required for European Social Fund programmes and so on.
Other evaluation systems may have some common features but they may also have different purposes. It is essential to be clear why a particular approach is
being adopted. In the case of LEAP the purpose of the package is to:
•
plan and evaluate support for volunteer development in terms of enabling volunteers and developing volunteering
•
plan and evaluate volunteering itself in terms of the change that it achieves in the quality of personal and community life.
•
offer a framework for need led development of planning and evaluation criteria which are agreed between the partners involved at local level
•
focus on quality as much as quantity of change
In other words it relates to a particular way of working based on an explicit set of values (See Volunteer Centres Scotland: 'Vision and Values - Mission and
Aims Statement') . If these principles inform what the partners wish to evaluate this is a suitable tool. It will enable them to identify and apply common criteria
for the evaluation of their respective contributions to volunteer promotion and engagement and quality of life change.
Other quality improvement and evaluation packages will have different purposes. LEAP is not therefore necessarily an alternative to other systems. Indeed there
are other packages that it may be helpful to use in tandem with LEAP. In particular Volunteer Centres Scotland has developed its own Standards Framework and
many volunteering organisations make use of the ‘Big Picture’ prepared by SCVO for quality assurance in voluntary organisations.
Many partners in volunteering will be involved simultaneously in the use of other systems because they serve their particular purposes. Local authorities, for
example, will be conducting periodic Best Value reviews and the contribution of volunteering and community action may well be a dimension of this. But when
they are engaged as partners in volunteer development and volunteering rather than formal evaluation of their own services, their involvement should be
evaluated from a volunteer development and volunteering perspective.
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The ‘Big Picture’
The "Big Picture" prepared by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations and published in 1999 is the product of an Scottish Executive national
development project for community learning in the voluntary sector. It is a well designed and user friendly package which assists organisations to review their
own performance in critical areas such as planning, financial management, customer satisfaction and governance. It assists organisations to identify critical
questions about their own performance, develop ways of understanding better how they work and make changes. It is an organisation development tool for
quality improvement rather than an evaluation tool. It recognises the critical importance of evaluation in quality organisations but it does not provide a model for
doing this.
“Big Picture” enables its users to critically examine the performance of their organisations. It will help them to answer the key step 1 question in LEAP – what
needs to change? Once such examination has taken place it is essential to develop action plans for the achievement of changes that will deal with areas of poor
performance or consolidate good performance. It is equally important to put in place evaluation procedures and criteria to judge the progress that is made. This is
the role of LEAP. The two sets of material therefore complement one another.
Volunteer Centres Scotland Standards Framework
Setting standards of good practice is a vital part of quality assurance. In the Standards Framework Volunteer Centres Scotland has set out standards under the 3
main headings each with sub headings. These are:
•
Volunteers and Volunteering
o
Promotion and access
o
Capacity building for volunteering
o
Enabling people to volunteer
o
Placing prospective volunteers
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o
•
•
Supporting volunteers
Organisation
o
Employment
o
Training and development
o
Finance
o
Planning, policies and procedures
Performance/Community. Within each of these there are sub headings
o
Monitoring and evaluation
o
Accountability
o
Standards implementation and review
Under each sub heading there is a statement of one or two key outcomes that should be sought and a set of standards relating to relevant activities. It should be
readily apparent that since the standards statement suggest outcomes that should be sought, these can be the starting point for application of the LEAP
framework.
To take one example, under the sub-heading: Promotion and access, the key outcome is identified as: people know who you are and what you do. Assuming that
you have not yet achieved this outcome, you could apply the LEAP process:
Step 1 - you would state the achievement of this as the change you want to produce.
Step 2 - you would identify measures or indicators by asking yourself, how would we know this has changed?
Step 3 - you would develop an action plan that identified who would make what inputs, what processes you would adopt and what specific outputs you
would deliver. The standards statements would help you to identify processes and outputs that would be required. For example there are standards
statements like: publish leaflets or maximise the use of information technology.
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Step 4 – you would make sure that you could monitor the actions that you had agreed to take
Step 5 – you would draw on evidence collected in the process of your work to check progress against your chosen measures and indicators
Using LEAP in this way it is possible to move beyond the statement of a good practice standard to planning and evaluating its achievement.
Best value
Because they are part of or receive funding from statutory sources, many users of the LEAP for volunteering framework may be also subject to Best Value
reviews. Best value is a periodic measure of the quality of services examining the efficiency, effectiveness and equity of the use of public resources. LEAP can
be used in conjunction with Best Value reviews. Firstly, if LEAP is being used to promote continuous improvement, it can be a key source of evidence that can
be drawn on for the review. Secondly, following a Best Value review, LEAP provides an action planning framework than can assist organisations to respond to
issues highlighted.
D
Glossary of terms
Inputs: the resources used to develop and carry out a policy, programme or project
Processes: our methods of work – how we use the resources
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Outputs: what is done – specific actions and products
Outcomes: what has changed and in what way
Stakeholders: all those people with an active interest in the inputs, process, outputs and outcomes of a particular activity
Partnership: more than one agency or organization working together with joint decision making structures
Quantitative: approaches to collecting information that are primarily statistical
Qualitative: approaches to collecting information that reflect feeling, meaning and understanding
Baseline: recording of the prevailing conditions at the start of work, or a particular point in time, against which development of outputs and outcomes may be
measured
Measure: a quantified and direct description of outputs or outcomes
Indicator: a proxy measure used when outputs or outcomes are not directly measurable
Policy: a statement of the intentions and approach of an agency as a whole
Programme: overall activity of an agency within a particular policy
Project: a specific practice initiative within a programme or a stand alone practice initiative
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Evaluation: the overall measurement of the value of a policy, programme or project
Formative evaluation: evaluation which is ongoing and feeds back continuously into the planning process
Summative evaluation: evaluation of a policy, programme or project on its completion and the overall evidence available
Self-evaluation: an approach in which, together, the participants take responsibility for the evaluation of their own work as an on going part of their activities
Monitoring: the regular checking and recording of progress relative to planned goals
Planning: a conscious process of anticipating future conditions and needs and determining the most appropriate use of resources to meet them
Goal displacement: an unplanned and often unconscious change of direction resulting from blocks and difficulties
Goal succession: a conscious redefinition of goals based on successful achievement of what was planned
Effectiveness: the degree to which the intended outputs and outcomes have been achieved
Efficiency : the ratio of the inputs to the outputs and outcomes. (This involves not only direct financial costs but also issues of management, resources,
structures, methods of working which need to be evaluated both quantitatively and qualitatively).
Equity: the equality of opportunity, relative to need, to participate and benefit from the process, outputs and outcomes.
Volunteer centres: organisations that promote, encourage and develop volunteering – the ‘job centre’
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Volunteer engaging agencies: organisations that directly deploy volunteers in practical activities – the ‘employers’
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