1. PROJECT EVALUATION Food for your future bids and backers FAY BLAIR

2. http://www.egemagazine.com http://assets.wwf.org.uk/downloads/leadingforthefuture_evaluationreport. pdf

3. Activities - projects Open days Events and Festivals Temporary exhibition and display Guided tours or walks Visits from schools and colleges Outreach sessions in schools and colleges Other on-site activities Publication or other information technology applications Volunteers and training aspects Large programmes, initiatives, projects & partnerships

4. Today’s highlights.. 1. What we mean by ‘evaluation’ 2. Highlight some tools, resources 3. Share some evaluation work anecdotes

5. What is evaluation? Formative evaluation – reviews on the way to check what you are doing is on track Summative evaluation – a report that compiles quantitative and qualitative evidence to tell the story of your project It’s about capturing characteristics For your bids and backers = ‘proving’ and ‘improving’

6. Key elements of evaluation

7. What evaluation involves….

8. Templates and guides to help you ‘Tools for you’ by nef http://www.neweconomics.org/publica tions/tools-you Scoping activities Project plan & impact map Activities & time recording Baseline questionnaires Exit surveys Volunteer time recording Online ‘Survey Monkey’ www.surveymonkey.net End of project forms Interviews, face to face

12. Evaluation of projects and programmes

13. A Year in the Life of Faversham - Evaluation  A visitor survey – for the exhibition over the Hop Festival 2010  Contributor & volunteer surveys – at the start of the project  Contributor & volunteer surveys - at the end Written feedback with anecdotes Simple feedback forms with face-to face interviews Designing the surveys Running the surveys Collating the results Analyzing the results Drawing findings and conclusions Writing the report Creating the news headlines

14. Contributor expectations…baseline ‘It will raise public interest in the town, it's past, present and future‘ ‘It will prompt people to care for it and its people (residents)’ ‘I hope it will create more interest and pride in the locals of Faversham’ ‘I hope will draw attract people from outside Faversham (to live, work, visit)’ ‘That people will look at Faversham with a different eye and new artistic initiatives will be borne’ ‘That this photographic concept can be extended and rolled out across Kent and the South East so more towns can be engaged with their history, present and all through the medium of photography’ ‘To look back in 10-30 years' time with my children and remember this as part of our lives’

16. Visitor comment card feedback I think for a town as small as Faversham it’s important to have projects like this running as well as other things, it gives us a sense of community, gives us a chance to get involved and it feels great if (like me) your photo gets chosen. Doing a project like this helps me to explore my photography skills, and meet new people and look at our little town through different eyes. I also think that a project like a year in the life if important not just for exploring my artistic side and documenting town life but to attract visitors to our town as well. To sum up I think it’s a great idea I’m glad to have this exciting opportunity to take part in such an interesting community activity. Leanda

17. Some headline results from the surveys Many (70+) local people contributed, in excess of 425 volunteer hours, in different ways to make this community project happen, led by the team at Kent Creative Arts. 2,000+ visitors over the Hop Festival weekend (4-5 September) were logged at this exhibition; totalling in excess of 4,000 to the 12th September. 50% these were locals and the other half included regular visitors with some new tourists The project appealed particularly to the older age groups (50+ years) but many family groups with young children also visited and enjoyed the exhibition.

18. Satisfaction and learning…. A very large proportion (88%) said the exhibition was ‘excellent’ (61%) or ‘very good’ (27%). Nobody said that they didn’t enjoy it all. A significant proportion, over a third, either found out ‘a few new things’ (17%) and an additional number of respondents said they found out (18%) ‘lots of new things’.

19. Link to your promotion and marketing….. Main reason for visiting Faversham: 90% for the Hop Festival How did they find out about this event, AYITLOF? 25% - someone told me to visit 23% - leaflets and posters 23% - newspapers 18.5% - yellow banner outside 14% - I know someone involved 2.5% - website 2% - email 0.05% - Radio/TV

20. Why volunteers got involved in the project 78% ‘welcomed the reason/excuse to support something local and be a part of it’ 78% ‘wanted to make it happen’ by ‘lending’ their support 74% were in the age range 35-65 66% got involved because ‘they enjoy photography’, and ‘like taking photos’ 66% liked ‘the focus on Faversham’ 63% were ‘involved in taking pictures in 2009’ 56% ‘wanted to get involved in something fun but educational’ 56% got involved as it was ‘very local and easy to take part in’ 56% got involved because they ‘like heritage and finding out about the history of the town and surroundings’ 53% like landscapes 53% like looking at photos 53% of the contributors/volunteers (who responded) were female 50% were involved as a helping hand/volunteer in their own right in welcoming guests/invigilation

21. Capturing characteristics About people Age group, gender, ethnic background, socio-economic group, disability (Office of National Statistics Groupings) About the ‘experience’ Your expectations and their expectations, and how these were met About what difference the project made Feedback to relating to, for example, participation, conservation and learning (Heritage Lottery Fund)

22. Evaluation steps Key aspects THINK  PLAN  DO  REVIEW What is the project’s aim? What do you want it to achieve?  Objectives  Activities  Outputs  Outcomes Scope out what you want to find out clearly, the kind of measures & questions How is this going to happen?  Who is going to help you?

23. Evaluation steps Key aspects  THINK PLAN  DO  REVIEW Map out your project plan Activities, things that need to be done and when How to capture feedback - counting, and what people say Time and resources needed Your stakeholders Volunteers / paid helpers

24. Evaluation steps Key aspects  THINK  PLAN DO  REVIEW Devising the feedback forms Running the activities Gathering the feedback (surveys) Processing the data information Drawing some conclusions Devising some headlines Publicising key highlights

25. A simple feedback form

26. Establishing a baseline

27. Post event reflection

29. Evaluation steps Key aspects  THINK  PLAN  DO REVIEW Soft test any feedback forms before they go live Insights – yours, your supporters, volunteers, key audience(s) Review what were the key positives, went well, (and didn’t) & ideas for improvement, learning

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