Evaluating and Learning from our Development Work

Developmental evaluation is an agile methodology characterised by close involvement of the evaluator with the development team and their stakeholders, to observe and evaluate our new approaches in real time. They create rapid feedback loops, which support us to reflect and continue to develop and adapt our approach, based on what is happening and the learning being generated. As our work progresses, the evaluation is also examining the difference our interventions are making. 

We have commissioned Brightpurpose Ltd as our learning partner for the developmental evaluation. They are specialists in developmental evaluation and working alongside teams testing bold new things to achieve social justice.

Progress to date

During the last four months of 2019, Brightpurpose worked with us getting to know us, our ambitions and our work in detail. They produced a learning plan for 2020 which we signed off just before Christmas. 

Alongside ongoing work with the team to facilitate reflection and real-time learning throughout the year, they are working with us on a number of specific workstreams:

• Engaging colleagues in the Foundation about how our work supports the Foundation’s strategic ambitions, and about how learning is shared across the Foundation
• Developing evaluation plans to support new Skills Based Volunteering pilots as they develop
• Facilitating the development of concepts for our Financial and Organisational Resilience workstream
• Developing plans for how to evaluate our People and Communities workstream

Since the Covid-19 outbreak emerged in the UK, the Brightpurpose team have been supporting us as we explore new ways to deliver our development work, and develop new approaches that are needed both now and as we all plan for moving beyond lockdown.

Reporting

Brightpurpose will produce their year 1 evaluation and learning report in November 2020, focussing on key learning and emerging outcomes.