Evaluation

That’s why v has commissioned an independent evaluation, which is being carried out by a team of social research and communication experts from the National Centre for Social Research, The Institute for Volunteering Research, The Third Sector Research Centre and Public Zone.

This consortium was chosen through a competitive tendering process. Applicants had to prove that they had the independence, knowledge and skills necessary to carry out such an important evaluation. All the organisations involved in the evaluation are completely separate from v.

This evaluation is taking a formative approach. This means that the evaluation takes place at the same time as the delivery, so that v can learn from the findings and evolve as an organisation as new information emerges. It also means that we can share emerging findings with other people in the voluntary sector, so that they can benefit from the knowledge.

The evaluation runs from January 2009 until March. The team will interview around 1000 grant recipients to ask them about their experience of working with v, and 600 young people each year to ask about their volunteering. They’ll also analyse statistics, assess the effectiveness of marketing and communications, and look for evidence of return on investment.

The evaluation team will regularly feedback insights through this website so that everyone can learn and benefit from the findings as they emerge. For more information, visit the evaluation blog.

Make a suggestion

If you think we should be asking a specific question as part of the overall v evaluation, or exploring a particular issue or area, please email the evaluation team . Alternatively, you can add your thoughts or comments to the evaluation blog by clicking on the comment link under each blog post.

Latest Findings

We are delighted to be able to share with you the interim findings of our Formative Evaluation.  The interim evaluation report shows that v and its funded network are achieving notable outcomes, for example exceeding the targets set for it for the number of youth volunteering opportunities and supporting a positive force for change in the youth sector (p54). More significantly it identifies that we have engaged some of the hardest to reach young people.  “There is strong evidence”, the report concludes, “that v funded volunteering engaged a “greater diversity and more socially excluded young people than is normally the case” (p1).

While there are successes to celebrate, the evaluation also indicates areas for improvement for v, its funded network and government.v is taking forward the recommendations and has created an action plan to tackle the implications raised by the Evaluation report and we are committed to continuing to raise the bar in the provision of youth volunteering.

There is also learning within the report for our funded network, for the wider sector and for government and we hope they share our zeal for improvement. The detailed impact of v and its network (2008-2011) will be reflected in the final report in June 2011. We have a unique opportunity to take stock of what we have collectively achieved thus far and  make every effort to deliver more.

Reports

Please see the resources links below for you to download the:

Formative Evaluation Interim Peer Researcher's Summary (by young people for young people)

Formative Evaluation Interim Executive Summary

Formative Evaluation Interim Report

You can also download our first evaluation reports for activity conducted between May 2006 – December 2007.