New projects requiring volunteers with #ProBonoOR

Please find details of a new project below with Hestia, plus several other projects we are also recruiting volunteers for.  

Hestia

Project summary:

Project: The Hestia Approach Performance & Impact Framework - To create a performance and impact framework to measure the impact of the Hestia Approach transformation project within the organisation and upon strategic objectives

Time commitment: approx. 10 days, though this will need to be checked by the volunteer in the light of information gathered at their first meeting

Location: London

Please read project scope and if you feel you are able to offer your assistance please complete the application form and return to me along with your CV by midday on Wednesday 28th February.

Information about the organisation:

Charitable objectives:

Our mission is to deliver high quality and empowering housing, support, protection and care services in partnership with service users and local communities.

Main activities of the organisation: 

We support people fleeing domestic abuse, people who have been trafficked, people with mental health, older people, young people, ex offenders, people with learning difficulties and physical disabilities. Delivering support via accommodation based, outreach, community engagement and advocacy services.

We also have three other projects we are still recruiting for.  If you require the project scope as an attachment please sent me an email request.

NIDAS

Project summary:

Project: Activity analysis & cost recovery model: Develop a high-level process model of the organisation that can be used to capture where staff spend their time. For frontline delivery activities, quantify the proportion of costs that are recovered.

Time commitment: approx. 5 days, though this will need to be checked by the volunteer in the light of information gathered at their first meeting

Location: Nottinghamshire (a lot of the work could be carried out remotely)

Please read project scope and if you feel you are able to offer your assistance please complete the application form and return to me along with your CV by midday on Wednesday 22nd February.

Information about the organisation:

Charitable objectives:

Area of benefit: Survivors of current or historic domestic abuse

Our core purpose is our fundamental reason for being

·        To keep people safe emotionally and physically

Main activities of the organisation: 

Support and advocacy, 1-1, group, specialist programs

EBP South

Project summary:

Project: Develop Performance Dashboard - EBP would like help to develop a Performance Dashboard to be used for internal management and Board Reporting.

Time commitment: approx. 4 days, though this will need to be checked by the volunteer in the light of information gathered at their first meeting

Location: Portsmouth (could be carried out remotely)

Please read project scope and if you feel you are able to offer your assistance please complete the application form and return to me along with your CV by midday on Wednesday 22nd February.

Information about the organisation:

Charitable objectives:

For the Public Benefit, to advance, promote and assist in the effective education and development of young people and adults in order to develop their individual capabilities, competencies, skills and understanding in subjects of educational value including career and life skills together with collaboration with local businesses and business organisations in England and Wales in such ways as the charity Trustees think fit.

Main activities of the organisation: 

Work Experience placements; Mentoring programmes for young people linked to volunteers from business; employability programmes in schools; enterprise activities; career inspiration events; careers guidance and education.

Fulham Good Neighbours

Project summary:

Project: Assessing the impact of Fulham Good Neighbours

Time commitment: approx. 5 days, though this will need to be checked by the volunteer(s) in the light of information gathered at their first meeting.

Location: Fulham, SW6 7QT.

Please read project scope and if you feel you are able to offer your assistance please complete the application form and return to me asap (there is currently no deadline as the organisation is happy to wait).

Information about the organisation:

Charitable objectives:

Our aims are to enable elderly, disabled and vulnerable people to:

-        Live independently and to contribute to society,

-        Help overcome isolation and loneliness,

-        Be at the heart of the local community.

Main activities of the organisation: 

Fulham Good Neighbours support mainly older people, including those with dementia, with practical tasks at home such as basic DIY, gardening, and decorating. We do what any good neighbour would: collect medication, escort to appointments, accompany shopping and take care of pets to name just a few of our free services delivered by over 50 volunteers, many of whom are older people.

If you would like to volunteer on a project but are not able to commit to the full time requirement please let me know as it may be possible to pair you up with another analyst.  

Lastly if you would like to work on a project as part of a pair or with the support of a mentor please indicate on your application and we try to facilitate this. 

I look forward to hearing from you and once again thank you for your help and support.

For further information about the scheme please visit: http://www.theorsociety.com/Probono  

Understanding the Benefits of a Social Care Programme #ORblog

CORDA recently completed a project for the WAVE Trust - a charity committed to improving the welfare of children – as part of its support of The OR Society’s Pro Bono scheme. The scheme connects volunteer analysts with charities and other not-for-profit organisations to work on short-term projects to help them to make evidence-based decisions for operational improvements.

Ben Ludford, a senior consultant at CORDA, led the project and explains: “Working with the WAVE Trust was a great experience. Not only were we able to support a charity that provides such a valuable service for children but it also gives volunteers like me the opportunity to tackle different kinds of problems in their entirety, using a range of OR and analytics techniques, and other skills to help good cause.”

The WAVE Trust has a particular focus on improving social and emotional development and mental health, and preventing child maltreatment. The project saw CORDA work closely with the charity to develop a business case for it to present to local authorities in a bid to secure funding for a pilot of its social care programme Pioneer Communities.

CORDA’s analysts worked with the Trust to understand its current business case and to identify where further work was needed. This highlighted that the WAVE Trust had a good understanding of the costs and delivery of the programme, but that there was a need to develop a better understanding of the benefits and how this tied to financial savings for the local authorities. This benefit information could then be linked with the cost data to create a cost benefit model showing the payback of the programme over time.

Using its modelling expertise, CORDA planned several ways in which benefit data could be collected, delivering a report with advice on how this could be achieved. It also built a model that provided a cost-benefit analysis.

This is the first pro bono project CORDA has delivered through The OR Society’s scheme. Projects through the scheme usually involve data analysis, impact measurement, options appraisal, risk analysis, strategic planning/review, scheduling & process improvement.

As well as providing companies with an opportunity for its employees to get involved in pro bono work, it also provides third sector organisations like The Wave Trust with a range of benefits including access to analytics experts, help with identifying and clarifying problems and finding real solutions that improve what they do.

To find out more about the scheme or to request support for a charity or third sector organisation, please visit www.theorsociety.com/probono

New Pro Bono O.R. projects with The Corpse Project and Wave Trust

Pro Bono O.R. – enabling managers to make more effective decisions

Pro Bono O.R. is a scheme operated by The OR Society that places professional analysts in short term projects with third sector organisations in the UK. 

Projects require skilled professionals who work in operational research, analytics or related professions.  If you have the skills required for a project, we’d love to hear from you.

Please find details of two new projects below that we are seeking a volunteer(s) for:

The Corpse Project

Information about the organisation:

Charitable objectives:  Promotion of and educational around better ways with the body after death, including research and public engagement. 

Main activities of the organisation:  Currently evidence gathering (qualitative and quantitative), communication and networking to identify allies. 

Project summary:

Project: Processing and presenting data in an exciting multi-disciplinary exploratory project.

Time commitment: Up to 4 days

Location:  London.  Most of the work can be carried out by phone and email but some time face to face, preferably in London will be required.

Please read the project scope and if you feel you are able to offer your assistance please complete the application form and return to me along with your CV by midday on Wednesday 23^rd March.

Wave Trust

Information about the organisation:

Charitable objectives: Educational charity committed to improving welfare of children with particular focus on improving social and emotional development and mental health and preventing child maltreatment.

Main activities of the organisation:  Research, policy development, educating policy makers, implementing policies to improve welfare of children.

Project summary:

Project: Developing a Cost-Benefit model to support the Pioneer Communities Project

Time commitment: Approx. 3 days

Location:  This project can be carried out remotely. Offices are based in Croydon, CR0 1ED.

Please read the project scope and if you feel you are able to offer your assistance please complete the application form and return to me along with your CV by midday on Wednesday 23^rd March.

We also still require volunteer(s) for the following project:

Hoxton Health

Information about the organisation:

Charitable objectives: Holistic care for older people in Hackney at low cost.

Main activities of the organisation:  Complementary therapies and supported exercise classes for older people

Project summary:

Project: To aid the trustees and staff to:

1.       Develop a mission statement and identify ways of measuring impact of Hoxton Health.

2.       Design an improved recording system

Time commitment: Approx. 5 days

Location:  London (N1 5LZ). Much of the time would have to be on site though it will be possible to access computer-based information remotely.

Please read the project scope and if you feel you are able to offer your assistance please complete the application form and return to me along with your CV by midday on Wednesday 23^rd March.

Please note all these projects are suitable for an individual, pair or team of analysts. If you would like to volunteer on a project but are not able to commit to the full time requirement please let me know as it may be possible to pair you up with another analyst.  Lastly if you would like to work on a project with the support of a mentor please do specify in your application and I can try to arrange this. 

If you require any further information please do not hesitate to get in touch: felicity.mcleister@theorsociety.com or 0121 233 9300

I look forward to hearing from you and once again thank you for your help and support.

For further information about the scheme please visit: http://www.theorsociety.com/Pages/Probono/Probono.aspx

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