Blog

Youth Music shared ten tips for other grant-giving organisations who are looking to focus on impact: Use a theory of change. Youth Music found the theory of change process to be very useful in setting out their overall aims and their outcomes. This now sits behind all of their grant-making....

Lucy de Las Casas, NPC and Patty Lozano-Casal, ESS share their learning from Inspiring Impact’s first sub-sector partnership with Sported.  Inspiring Impact recently completed its first ever sub-sector partnership, which involved Sported—an umbrella organisation which works with community sports groups in transforming the lives of disadvantaged young people, NPC, and...

  Inspiring Impact ran and live streamed an event on 2nd February 2017 that focused on the benefits of working with volunteers to measure impact practice. Three of our Impact Champs presented on their own experiences: Antonia Orr from Coalition for Efficiency works with skilled pro bono volunteers as part of...

Nick Wilsdon, Learning & Evaluation Manager at the National Foundation for Youth Music shares his experience of the process of successfully embedding a strategic learning approach to evaluation. He highlights the journey of change in his organisation, and concludes with helpful tips for anyone embarking on a similar journey.  Youth...

 Patty Lozano-Casal, (second left) Inspiring Impact lead for Evaluation Support Scotland, reflects on Principle 8 of The Code of Good Impact Practice: ‘Actively share your impact plans, methods, findings and learning’.   In it she draws on her two weeks at the Big Lottery Fund (the Fund) on a learning...

When you go away how do you decide where to stay? Do you go with the cheapest option or look at how many stars a hotel has got? Do you just stay in the same place every time or insist on somewhere new? Do you rely on tips from family...

James Magowan is the Inspiring Impact lead for ACF. Here he reflects on issues raised at the recent ACF conference—which had ‘Trust’ as its theme. He explains why he  sees good impact practice as a significant contributing factor in building and maintaining trust between charities and funders. David Emerson (Chief...

by Patty Lozano-Casal, Evidence into Policy and Practice Manager at Evaluation Support Scotland On my way to work recently I found myself reflecting on the idea of ‘peer support’. I remembered a personal anecdote that my colleague, Emma, shared with me. She told me about a time when she took her children to a playground...

By Dr Cassy Rutherford These are challenging times for the third sector, and it’s becoming increasingly important for us all—funders included—to be able to understand and evidence our impact. The Robertson Trust is the largest independent grant-making trust in Scotland. We aim to improve the quality of life, and realise...

By Judith McComb Sported is a free membership organisation that supports thousands of community groups and clubs across the UK that use the power of sport to change young lives.   As part of the Inspiring Impact Northern Ireland  pilot, Sported helped 20 of its member groups to sign up...