Wednesday 27 March 2019

New Pro Bono OR Project: Joy of Sound







Joy of Sound Project

Reaching out to the hard to reach: Overcoming barriers to social participation.

Project:

To aid Joy of Sound (JOS) volunteers to evaluate the impact of their inclusive arts and music activities toward their 20th Anniversary celebrations.

Project description:

JOS undertakes a range of activities including inclusive music and arts workshops, training sessions, design and production of bespoke music instruments and associated access equipment, with the aim of promoting social inclusion through music and the creative arts. 

The model is so successful that they are in process of roll-out to other London Boroughs. In 2020 it will be their 20th anniversary and they would like to produce a report demonstrating the impact of their work with disabled and impaired people, volunteers, care support networks and the wider community. There is considerable data available.

It is anticipated that the volunteer will:
  1. Have a project initiation meeting with the JOS founder and obtain available documentation and data
  2. Visit a JOS session to meet participants and experience at first hand what happens and how.
  3. Facilitate a half-day workshop with JOS trustees to Identify their key  inputs, activities, outcomes and impacts
  4. Identify appropriate measures, data requirements, data sources together with any additional data gathering that is needed
  5. Write a report on the impact of JOS together with recommendations for future data collection and reporting
Recommended Volunteer Requirements:
    • A belief in and commitment to inclusive society 
    • Experience with facilitation , skilled with data gathering and analysis.
    • Experience of impact measurement and the theory of change would be helpful
    • An interest in social inclusion and in finding ways to evaluate inclusive processes  

    Time commitment5 days over 9 months

    LocationMost of the work can be carried out remotely. The volunteer would need to attend the facilitation session in person and to attend one JOS session to experience what the charity do and how they do it, and to be better able to understand and consider viable approaches towards impact measurement and project evaluation.  

    If you feel you are able to offer your assistance please complete the application form and return along with your CV to amy.hughes@theorsociety.com by 30th April.

    The OR Society fully supports equal opportunities. As such, we welcome applications from the partially sighted or blind, or those with disabilities.

    Information about the organisation: 
    Joy Of Sound uses inclusively designed and made instruments to help individuals, who might otherwise be excluded from the creative arts, to make music. The organisation works closely with the individual co-learner, their families and key-workers, and designers to build acoustic instruments that draw on the individual’s abilities, talents and tastes. JOS has facilitated thousands of individuals with differing needs over the last seven years and estimate 70% being from BME communities and over 30% being wheelchair users.

    For further information about Joy of Sound please visit http://joyofsound.org/or email William Longden at williamelongden@icloud.com

    For further information about the Pro Bono OR scheme, please visit: www.theorsociety.com/Probono  or email ProBonoOR@theorsociety.com

    Thursday 21 March 2019

    New Pro Bono OR Project: Lewisham Refugee and Migrant Network








    Lewisham Refugee and Migrant Network Project

    Better outcomes for refugees and migrants through better impact measurement 

    Project:

    To help the Lewisham Refugee and Migrant Network (LRMN) to improve its impact measurement.

    Project description:

    LRMN wishes to review its impact measurement. The current measures, though described as ‘impact’ measures,  are a mix of activity, output and outcome measures; and some softer outcomes, such as wellbeing, are not measured at all. LRMN has a Theory of Change (ToC), but the current measures are not linked to this at all. A new set of measures should address this, providing measures that both help the organisation to understand what it is doing well and what may need to change, and that provide appropriate information to funders and potential funders.

    Whilst the impact measures should be linked to the ToC, the existing ToC does not fully reflect LRMN’s current activities, and is likely to be revised in the medium term. To avoid proposing measures that will become out of date with a new ToC,  the project should reflect this, by starting with a very quick review of the current Theory of Change, spending perhaps half a day with key stakeholders to 'kick the tyres' to find out what is missing or wrong and where it needs to be strengthened; and identifying what future changes might be required  (half a day).

    With the current ToC and an understanding of likely future changes, the next steps are to:

    • identify which are the most important activities, outputs and outcomes that need to be measured in addition to the current set of measures, and whether any current measures should be dropped
    • undertake a literature review on the best ways of measuring these where appropriate, for example for measures of wellbeing, and recommend measures to LRMN
    • when the measures are agreed, identify what data needs to be collected, and work with LRMN senior staff to understand what systems and processes they might need to do that
    • make recommendations on suitable survey, questionnaire and analysis design and processes. 
    The volunteer should have experience of designing performance and outcome measures, and know (or be able rapidly to get to grips with) how impact measurement relates to Theory of Change. They should also have the statistical and methodological skills to design surveys and questionnaires, and appropriate analysis. This project might suit a pair of volunteers with complementary skills. 

    Time commitment
    Around 4-6 days to:
    to understand the charity’s world, their current ToC and impact measurement 
    identify shortcomings in the ToC and how these may affect the measurements required
    identify what activities, outputs and outcomes to measure, in discussion with LRMN
    identify suitable measures, through literature review and in discussion with LRMN
    recommend ways of collecting these measures.

    Any further work can be arranged by the volunteer(s) or a follow-on project can be specified

    LocationThe work needs some face-to-face time with perhaps 3 or 4 meetings, including the initial meeting to firm up on Terms of Reference, and the remainder of the time working remotely. 

    If you feel you are able to offer your assistance please complete the application form and return along with your CV to amy.hughes@theorsociety.com by Wednesday 10th April.

    The OR Society fully supports equal opportunities. As such, we welcome applications from the partially sighted or blind, or those with disabilities.

    Information about the organisation: 
    LRMN have been providing free, independent and confidential advice to migrants, refugees and asylum seekers for over 25 years. Today they work with thousands of clients from all over London and help them access services needed to integrate and thrive into their local community. Their mission is to empower refugees and migrants to thrive, make a positive contribution, intergrate and take control of their own lives.  

    For further information about  LRMN please visit https://www.lrmn.org.uk or email Alessandra Sciarra at alessandra.sciarra@lrmn.org.uk

    For further information about the Pro Bono OR scheme, please visit:www.theorsociety.com/Probono  or email ProBonoOR@theorsociety.com

    Friday 15 March 2019

    New Pro Bono OR Project: Humraaz Women's Refuge









    Humraaz Project

    Creating an Organisational Strategy and Business Plan for Humraaz (a women’s refuge) including risk assessment for the new outreach centre

    Project:

    Humraaz require support with developing a robust organisational strategy and business plan, including a risk assessment for their new outreach centre.

    Project description:

    Humraaz provides temporary refuge for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) women and their children who have suffered, or are at risk of suffering, domestic violence, abuse, and/or forced marriage. This is delivered through advice, support and accommodation. The charity has started an Outreach Centre: a community space for women in the community to access services such as coffee mornings, education, IT and DIY courses. The charity are now attempting to move into new territories; from running refuges to working in the community.

    There are two strands to this project, each of which can be undertaken separately by an individual/group, ideally with one volunteer working on all aspects to ensure continuity and avoid duplication in effort.

    1) Developing an organisational strategy and business plan:
    Humraaz would like to develop an organisation strategy that is underpinned by a business plan that enables us to achieve our strategy. This may involve seeking input from stakeholders i.e. staff, volunteers and board of trustees. The OR volunteer would structure and facilitate these discussions and provide support to the charity to develop and write a strategy. This is something we have not done previously. However, the need for a strategy and business plan is critical at this point of the charity’s development.
    Experience of soft OR methods or facilitation skills would be useful, also to assist with drafting the strategy. Humraaz has limited core capacity and any support is welcome.

    2) Risk Assessment of Outreach Centre: 
    Traditionally the charity has operated a safe refuge accommodation with a confidential address not known to the public. Starting an Outreach Centre may introduce new risks to the charity such as a public address, and women with mental health or physical needs attending the activities/coffee mornings. The OR volunteer would need to undertake a risk analysis to understand what these risks might entail, through consultation with the charity’s staff and volunteers, as well as discussion with other charities providing similar services.

    Time commitment
    Developing a Organisational Strategy & Business Plan: 3-5 days
    Risk Assessment of Outreach Centre: 3 days

    Location1-2 visits to the Blackburn office may be required for each project strand, but these are limited (to potentially a few hours). The organisation is willing to work flexibly (e.g. via teleconference or video conference).  All other work can be done remotely

    If you feel you are able to offer your assistance please complete the application form and return along with your CV to amy.hughes@theorsociety.com by Monday 1st April.

    The OR Society fully supports equal opportunities. As such, we welcome applications from the partially sighted or blind, or those with disabilities.

    Information about the organisation: 
    Humraaz helps hundreds of women affected by domestic violence every year. We support women to move from crisis to safety and independence. With a philosophy of mutual self-help and empowerment, we aim to support and assist women and children to recover from the trauma of violence and abuse. We assist women to regain their strength in order to be able to make their own decisions about what is right for them in their lives

    For further information about Humraaz please visit http://www.humraaz.co.uk/or email Firoza Mohmed at Firoza@humraaz.org.uk

    For further information about the Pro Bono OR scheme, please visit:www.theorsociety.com/Probono  or email ProBonoOR@theorsociety.com

    Pro Bono OR moving elsewhere

    Pro Bono OR projects can now be found here:  https://www.theorsociety.com/get-involved/pro-bono-or/open-pro-bono-projects/ This blog will no...