Monitoring and evaluating a programme the size and complexity of Supporting Voluntary Action is a challenge, not least as the objective is to collect and analyse evidence of change across both diverse networks of independent infrastructure organisations and through them to the wider voluntary sector and communities.

In this task the SVA programme team has the support of a Monitoring and Evaluation Advisory Group and of Evaluation Support Scotland, the umbrella body for building evaluation capability in the Scottish voluntary sector. Details of the Monitoring & Evaluation Advisory Group members and the Role & Remit of the group can be found on the governance page.

Baseline profiles of CVS established during a cycle of visits in summer 2008 will be updated towards the end of the SVA programme to determine what has changed with regard to areas of CVS business that SVA projects aim to develop.

The SVA Programme’s effectiveness will also be evaluated through other mechanisms, including an in depth case study of the impact on a small number of CVS over the time of the programme and evaluation of specific project activities, for example skills development opportunities.

In order to ensure that evaluation is not excessively onerous, monitoring procedures are integrated with existing systems and procedures. A key aim will be to ensure that Supporting Voluntary Action monitoring dovetails with monitoring for the CVS Core Activities Framework and the Quality Framework.

The Monitoring & Evaluation strategy paper is available on the information library.

 

Sampling Fortnight

Following the successful Sampling Fortnight during February 09 we carried out a second round over the last week of January and first week of February 2011, with a third to come next year.

After listening to the feedback about the experiences of Sampling Fortnight I (SFI) we changed a number of things, these also reflect the move to Third Sector Interfaces. We do feel though that the timing of information collection slightly hampered people and so brought the dates of the SFII forward. We are currently analysing the results.

 

Final Programme Evaluation

SVA is pleased to have appointed Blake Stevenson as the Programme Evaluators.  They are working wiht the monitoring & evaluation advisory group to develop the timetable and will be in touch  with a number of organisations over the next few months.  Further details on the overall timetable will be available shortly.