What we’ve learned

Since we started as evaluators, when we were the youngest people in the room (we are definitely not the youngest people in the room now!), we have constantly tried to understand not just the theory of good evaluation but how to make evaluation work in practice. We believe with the right bits of information anyone can see through the jargon and can use the principles of good evaluation to help make their projects and services better and more effective.

At its simplest, evaluation is just using information to answer questions, reflect and then do something with it.

Theory of Change is a fancy term to describe a really obvious and simple idea: there is a connection between what you do and what you change. Planning your project (and your evaluation) is made a lot easier if you can answer these simple questions:

• What are we doing?
• Why are we doing it?
• Who will we work with?
• What will we achieve?
• How will we achieve it?

Collecting – We all know collecting information is a challenge. People can be hesitant to provide personal information or nervous about sharing too much about themselves. There is (and always will be) a place for a questionnaire, but we believe the key part of collecting data is asking the right questions. Once you know the questions, the vehicle for that question can be decided. We have tried loads of different tools and know there is no such thing as a perfect tool, it is all about trade-offs between quality and capacity, time and resources.

Analysing – For people new to research and evaluation, understanding the data and what it is telling you can feel like the hardest part of the process. If you have carried out lots of interviews, how do you analyse it? If you have lots of questionnaires, what is the data telling you? This is a skill that takes time to learn but the future is here! Knowing how to use generative AI tools like Chat GPT can make this job A LOT easier or there are other
techniques you can use as well.

Using the information – it is really easy for any research and evaluation to sit on a shelf and not make a difference to delivery. But doing something with the learning and insight is really important. The information should always be used to reflect on your delivery, and understand what you can change or improve. If you remember there is a connection between what you do and what you change, you can always look for ways you can do more of something, or do things differently, to create more change. But we should also share our learning – the good and the bad – with others. We are nearly all here to Do Good, sharing helps us all to Do Good, Better.

Log in to our online training where there are evaluation training courses and resources available behind a reasonably priced pay wall! You could also pick up the phone, send us a message or check out some examples of our work to give you more of a flavour of what we have done.

Nature recovery projects can be polarising. They improve habitats, increase biodiversity, contribute to climate change goals and will often have a broad benefit to the community in terms of valuing nature and the environment as well as supporting wellbeing. But change is often met with some scepticism, especially when lifestyles or ways of working are challenged or there is a perception that livelihoods are being threatened. This needs to be treated with sensitivity and good levels of engagement.

Our learning is community engagement (and we mean the whole community, not just those for or against) is a hugely important part of this type of work. It takes time and resource but it means people buy into the goals of the work and stops mis-information from spreading.

Many of the projects we work with aim to reach people who are currently under-represented in nature and the outdoors. People who can’t easily access greenspace, or who experience other barriers that mean engaging in nature is not a priority for them. Many people don’t engage because they don’t see other people ‘like them’ using natural spaces.

The most common tool used is to put on free sessions. This works really well for those people who have an interest but lack the opportunity but does not work for those groups who don’t realise nature is for them or lack confidence to engage. Our learning is that different groups of people need different tools to engage them. For those where nature doesn’t mean much to them, it is not enough to put on free activities or sessions, nature needs to come to them, along with support to encourage them to take part.

People don’t engage with nature and the environment for lots of different reasons. They can lack awareness about the activities that are there or may not feel comfortable knowing what to do, or think they have to climb a mountain to be part of nature (some people, us included are not massive fans of climbing mountains!). Confidence, knowledge and awareness can be huge barriers to people engaging with nature.

Our learning is that many people lack confidence alongside a lack of awareness of why and how to engage with nature. This means organisations need to think about how they can build confidence in people. This takes time and often means providing multiple opportunities for a person to engage.

Log in to our online training where there are evaluation training courses and resources available behind a reasonably priced pay wall! You could also pick up the phone, send us a message or check out some examples of our work to give you more of a flavour of what we have done.

The most common tool for measuring the inactive to active journey is the Active Lives Survey undertaken by Sport England. But the problem with this tool is it only works if people’s levels of physical activity remain constant. We have spoken to hundreds of people and got them to share their physical activity life story. Nearly everyone has periods in their lives when they are more or less active.

Our learning is if we really want to understand if we are making a difference through our projects or work, we need to think about what we are measuring and what tools we are embedding with people so they can return to moving more after periods of inactivity.

It is easy to say every place is different; but to mean it is a lot harder. We have explored place-based physical activity work in lots of different communities. If you work in a truly asset based community development way, in many communities, moving more is not a priority. But it is so so so important to our physical and mental health. So how do you work in a place-based or strength-based way that brings moving more into the conversation? Our learning is that focus and purpose is important. Although not essential, small pots of money can help, as can a consistent, relatable person to keep movement part of all conversations.

People fall out of physical activity for lots of different reasons but the result is that getting started or restarted can be incredibly difficult. This is particularly the case for people with long term health conditions, an injury or ongoing pain. Doing movement on your own can be scary: what pain is ok? Am I doing it right? Is this making it worse? Our learning is that projects that provide person centred support can be critical in getting people started and through that initial phase.

Each person has their own unique set of barriers and motivators that influence what will get them moving more. We know motivators are having fun and there being a relatable person or coach. We know barriers can also be simple things like toilet availability or having the right trainers. But it can also be more complex such as cost. Not just of the session, but of travel to the session and having the right equipment. Confidence is also a huge barrier. Where it gets really interesting is around elements like competition. Our learning is that competition is not a barrier to taking part, confidence is. If you can build confidence then in some people the competitive spirit is unleashed.

Log in to our online training where there are evaluation training courses and resources available behind a reasonably priced pay wall! You could also pick up the phone or send us a message or check out some examples of our work to give you more of a flavour of what we have done.

The dangers caused by loneliness and social isolation are becoming increasingly well understood. But often the social connection is not considered when designing projects or interventions. It is considered a by-product rather than an integral part of what should be offered.

Our learning is social connections really, really matter. Humans are social creatures. Some people need more connections than others, but everyone benefits from being connected. Often the activity is not important, it is the connection that matters and all activities (especially those involving movement) should include some time for chatting and socialising as part of any structured session.

There are all kinds of social prescribing and navigation projects happening across England. There are often challenges with too much demand for some services, not enough for others. Some services offer little more than active signposting which does little to overcome the practical challenges people face to engaging. Others are trying their best to unpick incredibly complex situations that people face with finance, housing or benefits.

Our learning is that specialist roles, like physical activity, green space or wellbeing can help bring attention and focus to the activity. By having these specialist roles it helps more generic social prescribers think about the possibility of getting someone moving more, being more socially connected or connecting more with nature.

People can find themselves in difficult places for all kinds of reasons. Homelessness, addictions, mental or physical illness can all push people into isolation or feeling like they don’t belong. This can then become a spiral that stops them being able to access the help and support that is available.

Our learning is opportunities that help people gently move out of their comfort zone can help build connections. Sport, movement and nature work really well for doing this. Being in a different space and doing an activity allows different conversations to happen and opens the door to the person accessing the support they need.

Employment can be a powerful tool for wellbeing. Alongside the income, it can provide people with routine and a sense of purpose. A lot of projects are aiming to support people into employment. But there are many barriers in place to them accessing it. These can be practical barriers but also emotional ones.

Our learning is that working in a person centred way can help people identify what they want and the aspects of their life they want to change. This in turn can set them on a path to volunteering or employment.

Log in to our online training where there are evaluation training courses and resources available behind a reasonably priced pay wall! You could also pick up the phone, send us a message or check out some examples of our work to give you more of a flavour of what we have done.