On the 20th of May I was in Oslo speaking at the Campbell Collaboration 2009 colloquium on the importance of charities measuring their results, and subjective well-being in particular.
The Campbell Collaboration does a great job of bringing together researchers and policy makers to discuss the latest evidence, measurement methods, and issues surrounding the interaction of social policy, research and practice. A melting pot of experts from around the globe it is a great place to bounce new ideas and methods around.
NPC led a panel session on the hugely important issue of implementing measurement in charities or NGOs. I was presenting on the well-being questionnaire, a new method that NPC has developed so that charities working with children can finally prove their success at improving subjective outcomes such as self-esteem, resilience, and peer and family relationships. You can read the presentation online.
I was joined by three other panel members: Prof Ann Buchanan of the Oxford Centre for Research into Parenting and Children gave an overview on the importance of evidence-based charity interventions. Varkey George of UCT, director of SHAWCO, a charity providing crucial health and welfare services to some of the most deprived communities in the South African cape, discussed some of the problems facing a charity trying to implement a measurement system on the ground. Finally Benita Refson, Chief Executive of The Place2be, a charity providing counselling in school to children with emotional and behavioural problems, gave an inspirational presentation on how charities can evaluate themselves, and the many advantages this can have – from improving their services to raising funds.
A lively debate followed. All agreed that it is essential for charities to measure the impact of their services. The well-being questionnaire was well-received as a much needed new tool. I think the key message coming out of the session was that it can be difficult for charities to start measuring – they need to think carefully about how or what to measure and then overcome problems implementing this at the frontline. However, despite the upfront effort required once a good system is in place the rewards to be reaped are huge.
NPC are dedicated to helping charities achieve this. If you want to find out more about well-being questionnaire, due to be launched in October 2009, visit the NPC webpage.
