Porchlight Project 2: Understanding the needs of the vulnerable

Porchlight Project Two

Understanding the needs of the vulnerable 

Project:

Using data mining or AI methods to analyse screening tool data against outcomes data, to assess which factors are mostly likely to affect a negative (or dangerous) outcome

Project description:

Porchlight and its partners offer a wide variety of services to help tackle problems of homelessness, mental health and poverty. At present, each of these services collects different data. 

Porchlight is preparing to roll out a new screening tool, which for the first time will aim to collect consistent data about client need at time of referral regardless of the entry point of the client. 

In time, this information will be collected for around 10-15,000 referrals pa, across 20 or so services. Porchlight staff have strong data analytical skills but little experience with off-the-shelf data mining or machine learning tools. 

They are seeking a volunteer who has such experience, to help establish what tools and methods would be appropriate, and what sort of analyses would help them in designing services to meet the needs of their vulnerable clientele.  

Time commitment: To be negotiated depending on volunteer availability:

- Initially 1-2 days on site to understand the data being collected by Porchlight currently, and propose suitable tools and analyses

- subsequently 3 or more days spread out at intervals to support Porchlight in implementing the tools and undertaking data analyses. This support could continue longer term,  depending on Porchlight needs and volunteer availability. 

Location: Ideally, most of the time should be on site at their office in Canterbury CT1 2UA

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 23^rd March 2020.

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: 

Porchlight is Kent’s largest charity for homeless and vulnerable people. They provide services for people who have nowhere to go and no-one to turn to. Some are living on the streets, others need support to prevent or resolve any issues that could put them at risk of homelessness. Each year, Porchlight support more than 7000 individuals and families.

For further information about Porchlight please visit https://www.porchlight.org.uk/ or email ChrisCoffey@porchlight.org.uk

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

Porchlight Project 1: Valid, reliable, consistent: making reporting effective.

Porchlight Project One

Valid, reliable, consistent: making reporting effective 

Project:

Help ensure that a new data collection tool gives reliable assessment of client need, by devising suitable staff training and support materials

Project description:

Porchlight and its partners offer a wide variety of services to help tackle problems of homelessness, mental health and poverty. At present, each of these services collects different data. 

Porchlight is preparing to roll out a new screening tool, which for the first time will aim to collect consistent data about client need at time of referral regardless of the entry point of the client. However, depending on how they first access Porchlight services, new clients may be assessed by any one of 300 or so staff, working in one of 20 different services. 

Porchlight is looking for a volunteer who has experience of roll-out of similar reporting systems, who can propose, and potentially help design, suitable training and follow-on support materials that will give assurance that the data is consistent, reliable and valid no matter where it was collected or who collected it

Time commitment: To be negotiated depending on volunteer availability:

- Initially 1-2 days on site to get to grips with the issues facing Porchlight’s data team, and to explore ideas that Porchlight could take forward

- If needed, up to 3 more days to help explore the options in more detail and/or help design the relevant materials days 

- potentially more support depending on Porchlight needs and volunteer availability

Location: It is expected that the initial day will be on site at their office in Canterbury CT1 2UA. Thereafter, the volunteer can work from wherever they prefer.

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 23^rd March 2020.

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: 

Porchlight is Kent’s largest charity for homeless and vulnerable people. They provide services for people who have nowhere to go and no-one to turn to. Some are living on the streets, others need support to prevent or resolve any issues that could put them at risk of homelessness. Each year, Porchlight support more than 7000 individuals and families.

For further information about Porchlight please visit https://www.porchlight.org.uk/ or email ChrisCoffey@porchlight.org.uk

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

New Pro Bono OR project with More in Common: Operationalizing Impact Measurement

More In Common

Operationalizing More in Common’s Impact Measurement

Project:

Having developed an ambitious metrics framework linked to their efforts to unite divided societies, More in Common is now looking to set up a best-in-class system for measuring and tracking the impact of their work.

Project description:

More in Common need help setting up the right systems/dashboards to keep records of the impact of their work.

The charity are in the process of trying to set up Salesforce to do this. However they are not sure they have the right design and technical implementation skillset to do this in a way that will let us build a robust, but flexible and easy-to-use interface. This will be quite important for a) getting organizational adoption and buy-in from our colleagues and b) adapting to a complex and often changing field of work. 

In terms of skills, we are ideally looking for someone who has database (preferably, but not necessarily, Salesforce) design/building experience. But more generally we need someone who can help us translate our static table of metrics/indicators into a dynamic process that enables us to measure the impact of our work. 

Time commitment: 6 days 

Location: It is expected that half-days at the beginning and end of the project would be spent at the Kings Cross offices, but the work will be done remotely. Access to the database will be given.

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 2^nd March 2020.

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: 

More in Common’s mission is to understand the forces driving us apart, to find common ground and help to bring people together to tackle our shared challenges. They draw from groundbreaking research to test and find solutions, working with partners that have the capacity to make a real difference at scale. They help build the larger field of efforts to strengthen democratic societies against the threats of polarization and division.

For further information about More in Common please visit https://www.moreincommon.com/ or email naureen@moreincommon.com

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

Project 2 with the Women’s Institute : Membership stocks and flows model needed

National Federation of Women’s Institutes : Project 2

Project:

Produce a prototype model of future membership 

Project description:

The National Federation of Women’s Institutes is a campaigning and educational charity with more than 200,000 members, based in over 6000 local Women's Institutes (WIs) across England and Wales. Whilst the NFWI regularly assesses total membership numbers, and total number of WIs, it has never previously analysed these numbers in a way that would validate or challenge anecdotal evidence, and help guide management action and insight on issues such as: the number, characteristics and geographic locations of members leaving, new recruits, WIs closing and opening.

This project is to produce a protoype membership model for NFWI, that could be used to identify stocks, flows, and interconnections to be able to project the membership levels likely to result from ‘do-nothing’ (with several future scenarios assocated with different assumptions about future social conditions impacting on propensity to join and/or run WIs) or from different recruitment or retention policies. 

Time commitment: 3 days 

The volunteer is asked to commit 3 days initially to build and populate a simple prototype model; at this point, next steps should be discussed with the General Secretary, with additional work either added on or identified as a follow-on project for others, as appropriate

Location: The volunteer(s) should spend one or two days on site, in discussions with the General Secretary and staff and reviewing systems. The bulk of the work can be carried out off-site.

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 10^th March 2020.

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: 

The WI plays a unique role in providing women with educational opportunities and the chance to build new skills, to take part in a wide variety of activities and to campaign on issues that matter to them and their communities.

The WI is based on the ideals of fellowship, truth, tolerance and justice. The organisation is non-sectarian and non-party political. WIs are charitable and everything they do must be consistent with that special legal status.

For further information about NFWI please visit https://www.thewi.org.uk/ or email J.Rayner@nfwi.org.uk

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

Project 1 with The Women's Institute: Understanding our strengths

National Federation of Women’s Institutes : Project 1

Project:

Analysing membership data

Project description:

The National Federation of Women’s Institutes is a campaigning and educational charity with more than 200,000 members, based in over 6000 local Women's Institutes (WIs) across England and Wales. Whilst the NFWI regularly assesses total membership numbers, and total number of WIs, it has never previously analysed these numbers in a way that would validate or challenge anecdotal evidence, and help guide management action and insight on issues such as: the number, characteristics and geographic locations of members leaving, new recruits, WIs closing and opening.

This project is to explore the data available to NFWI, identify what outputs would be useful to them, and analyse the data accordingly. A desirable further output is guidance for non-specialist staff to enable them to repeat or extend the analysis in future. 

Time commitment: 5 days 

The volunteer is asked to commit 5 days initially (spread out as needed): 

• 1 day to establish and firm up on requirements and to understand the current systems and data available 
• 3 days to clean and analyse the data
• 1 day to report.  

There is likely to be scope for more work, and this should be assessed by the volunteer, with the NFWI General Secretary, and either included, or identified as a follow-on project for another volunteer. 

Location: The volunteer(s) should spend one or two days on site, in discussions with the General Secretary and staff and reviewing systems. The bulk of the work can be carried out off-site.

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 10^th March 2020.

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: 

The WI plays a unique role in providing women with educational opportunities and the chance to build new skills, to take part in a wide variety of activities and to campaign on issues that matter to them and their communities.

The WI is based on the ideals of fellowship, truth, tolerance and justice. The organisation is non-sectarian and non-party political. WIs are charitable and everything they do must be consistent with that special legal status.

For further information about NFWI please visit https://www.thewi.org.uk/ or email J.Rayner@nfwi.org.uk

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