Refugee Roots - Design of impact measurement tools

Project summary

Conduct a review of current Impact Measurement and Theory of Change, and recommend tools to improve data collection from service users. 

Project description

Refugee Roots helps asylum seekers and refugees build relationships and navigate the complexities of building a new life in the UK. 

They have an existing Monitoring and Evaluation framework, together with a Theory of Change. Funders regularly ask for evidence of the impact of the charity’s interventions and, while some feedback tools are used, it is felt there could be more effective ways to collect data regularly throughout service interventions. For example, it is challenging to collect weekly feedback from service users who may be vulnerable and for whom providing service feedback is not a priority and can feel “transactional”. 

The project would require:

• A review of the current monitoring and evaluation process, tools and reports to identify strengths and gaps
• A review and refresh of the Theory of Change, to identify more clearly where data needs to be collected/reported
• Recommendations for new data collection approaches/tools (for example through researching how other charities gather data from similar clients)
• Input into a “Vision Day” planned for some time in May

Location

The work can be done remotely.

Commitment

Time commitment to be determined by volunteer when completing detailed project proposal with Refugee Roots.

Desired project start date

As soon as possible.

Desired project completion date

July 2022.

Apply

If you feel you are able to offer your assistance please complete the application form and return along with your CV to ProBonoOR@theorsociety.com by Wednesday 25th May 2022.

The OR Society fully supports equal opportunities.

Information about the organisation

Refugee Roots is a Christian charity that helps asylum seekers and refugees build relationships and navigate the complexities of building a new life in the UK.

Refugee Roots welcomes everyone, valuing each person and their culture, embracing equality and diversity while empowering and supporting those that need it most.

For further information about Refugee Roots please visit www.refugeeroots.org.uk

Information about Pro Bono OR

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

Support Marathon Kids UK – Track to the future!

Project Summary

Working with the Head of Operations, discuss and agree the most useful analyses and produce an automated reporting tool.

Project description

Marathon Kids UK organises runs both in schools and in parks. It has a bespoke system for automatic data recording but currently this necessitates manual copying and pasting into a spreadsheet. The organisation wants to consider what reporting will be most useful and automate this.

It is anticipated that the volunteer will:

• Discuss with the Managing Director, the Head of Operations and other stakeholders what statistics and reports would be most useful;
• Develop standard statistics and reports and discuss these;
• Develop an automated reporting tool that will take information from the database and produce statistics and reports in the agreed formats;
• Provide a user guide so that the Head of Operations can produce reports as required.

Skills required: the volunteer should have skills in programming, either VBA or R. Some experience of impact measurement and reporting would be useful.

Location

The work can be done remotely. A visit to the office in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, could be useful. 

Commitment

Time commitment to be determined by volunteer when completing detailed project proposal with Marathon Kids UK.

Desired project start date

Spring 2022.

Desired project completion date

Autumn 2022.

Apply

If you feel you are able to offer your assistance please complete the application form and return along with your CV to ProBonoOR@theorsociety.com by Monday 9th May 2022.

The OR Society fully supports equal opportunities.

Information about the organisation

Marathon Kids UK inspires the next generation to become physically active through running. Marathon Kids UK believes that running has the power to show kids they can achieve more than they ever dreamed possible. The Marathon Kids UK programme and accompanying tracking systems encourages kids to set goals and run distances of multiple marathons over the course of an academic year.

For further information about Marathon Kids UK please visit www.marathonkids.co.uk

Information about Pro Bono OR

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

Strengthening Shared Lives Plus Strategic Advice Service

Project Summary

To help Shared Lives Plus map the key processes of its 
strategic advice service and produce recommendations for improvement.  

Project Description

Shared Lives is a care and support service for people aged 16+ who want to live independently in their community, with the support of a family and community network. Shared Lives Plus are the UK membership charity for people living and working in Shared Lives care or Homeshare.

The charity launched a strategic advice consultancy service in 2017 to promote shared lives as a model of care and help councils wishing to set up shared lives schemes. Although the scheme has delivered successful projects to date, a lack of clarity about the services that can be offered, a lack of project documentation and systematic data collection is holding back the development and growth of the scheme.

The aim of the project would be to:

• Review the current project management process, including scoping arrangements, budgeting and pricing, documentation and post project review with a view to improving the consistency and effectiveness of the service and reducing key person risks. This could also include reviewing a sample of reports to identify potential improvements in reporting style and presentation to improve their impact.
• Undertake a stakeholder analysis to identify key stakeholders, their needs and expectations to allow the charity to better identify the requirements of key clients and focus the service provided and its USP accordingly.

Skills and experience in project management systems, project documentation and report writing would be required for this project.

Location: It is envisaged that the project will be undertaken remotely, however it would be helpful to undertake one or two on-site meetings to meet staff and review documentation.

Commitment: The time commitment is to be determined by the volunteer after agreeing a detailed project brief with the charity. 

We do not believe that this will be a large project, nor do we expect a need for substantial data collection.

Desired project start date: To be agreed between the volunteer and the charity.

Desired project completion date: To be agreed between the volunteer and the charity.

Apply:

If you feel you are able to offer your assistance please complete the application form and return along with your CV to ProBonoOR@theorsociety.com by Monday 23rd May 2022.

The OR Society fully supports equal opportunities.

Information about the organisation: 

The vision for Shared Lives Plus is a kinder, stronger society built on sharing our lives and our homes. They help build communities where everyone lives a full life, regardless of the support they need.

For further information about Shared Lives Plus please visit www.sharedlivesplus.org.uk

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

How volunteering with Pro Bono OR can change your life

Dan Tilley, Principal Analytics Scientist and Managing Director, Analytic Solutions Limited

Let me tell you a story about the power of networking and how volunteering to support a Community Interest Company , BuddyHub , through The OR Society’s Pro Bono OR scheme , changed my life.

When I first started work in 2000 at Dstl  I met a number of independent consultants . I was in awe of them; they had knowledge and skills I felt I would never have, though I dreamed of the possibility of being just like them. 

Many years later I found myself working at a startup in London and I was not happy. The two-and-a-half hour commute each way was not fun and this spilled into the enjoyment of my work. It is important to me that I enjoy my work and that I get variety in my work. Opportunity, though, presents itself in the most interesting ways.

I saw an advert from The OR Society looking for pro bono support for BuddyHub, an organisation trying to alleviate loneliness. This role appealed to me because my father had been diagnosed with Lewy Body Syndrome , a form of dementia. He had been moved into a care home and was already feeling very isolated and lonely.

I applied for the pro bono role and was accepted, to my delight, to work on the project along with another individual. We worked together to develop:

• a process for matching members; captured through a series of workshops and step tables; 
• an algorithm to match members;
• the capability to assess what would be the most cost-effective software to use, based on features and price;
• example code to calculate travel times;
• key performance indicators, which were identified using a driver tree and balanced scorecard.

Read the case study about Dan's project here.

My work with BuddyHub was very rewarding. I met some new people working in an exciting field trying to change the world (from a social standpoint), and I got to research new areas and develop new analytical skills. However, that is not where my story ended.

Working with BuddyHub gave me the confidence to set up my own independent consultancy. I realised that I had the capability and understanding to be an independent consultant and not just in defence and security. So, in January 2020, I set up my own business and suddenly I was just like all those independent consultants I met in the early 2000s. 

I continued to work with BuddyHub, becoming their Principle Analytical Scientist (advising them on cyber security and data protection). Inspired by work at BuddyHub, I began to think about how technology, particularly smart devices, could alleviate loneliness, but I was also worried about how data collected by smart devices could lead to someone like my father being exploited.  This led me to attend a sandpit , where I met some great people and explained what I was thinking about and others put their ideas forward. I had great fun doing this, but more importantly, it also led to something. The team that met at the sandpit set up a new project  to look at digital harms in the interaction between home IoT devices, smart meters, and Demand-Side Management (DSM) technologies. I remain a part of the team and am very proud that this project was in part inspired by my work with BuddyHub.

Perhaps one of the things I am most proud of in my work with BuddyHub is that I introduced them to Karrie Liu . I met Karrie through The OR Society. Karrie is a dedicated healthcare analytical consultant who was voted one of the top 100 women in tech . Through Karrie’s work, BuddyHub continues to develop to achieve its mission. 

BuddyHub also provided a nice recommendation for my LinkedIn page and recommended me to another company GiveClarity.Org , who are specialists in fundraising for charitable organisations, where I am advising on cyber security and machine learning requirements.

All of this came from me helping support BuddyHub through The OR Society’s Pro Bono OR scheme, and this, I believe, really shows the power of networking. Not networking as in the dreaded cheese and wine evening where you make small talk, but getting out there and helping others through something like the Pro Bono OR scheme. I believe it could help your confidence, allow you to practice new skills, meet new and interesting people, and may lead you to fulfilling your dreams.

A door is waiting for you and all you have to do is... (well I know you are smart so I will let you figure out the rest).

---

[1] Defined as a company that supports communities

[2] https://www.buddyhub.co.uk/

[3] https://www.theorsociety.com/get-involved/pro-bono-or/

[4] https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/defence-science-and-technology-laboratory

[5] Defence contractors

[6] https://www.lewybody.org/

[7] Essentially, where a smart group of individuals get together and work on a problem putting a proposal together to get some seed funding to develop the work further.

[8] https://petras-iot.org/project/understanding-and-mitigating-privacy-risks-of-iot-homes-with-demand-side-management-priviot/

[9] https://www.linkedin.com/in/karrieliu/;

[10] https://wearetechwomen.com/karrie-liu-boehringer-ingelheim-ltd/

[11] https://giveclarity.org/

NSPCC - Climate change and child safeguarding

Project Summary

Develop a model or map of the future potential impact of climate change on child abuse and neglect; and as far as evidence allows, populate it to assess possible future risk level.  

Project Description

The NSPCC’s aim is to prevent child abuse. It would like to understand the increased risks to children as a result of climate change, looking particularly at the next 10 years or so in the UK; and to use this to consider how best the NSPCC can incorporate climate change into work plans across the organization (particularly strategy, policy work and services offered to children and families).  This project is a follow-up to a previous Pro Bono project, which delivered an extensive review of the relevant literature. 

The work is expected to involve:

• Using the output of the previous project, together with NSPCC’s own information and meetings/workshops with NSPCC staff, to gain an understanding of the known or suspected linkages between the climate crisis and risks of child and adolescent abuse, neglect and exploitation, from within or outside families (including also the impact of climate change on key risk drivers and mitigants, such as parental stressors and services’ ability to effectively safeguard children and adolescents);

• Producing a model bringing this evidence together – potentially in the form of an influence or causal loop diagram, system dynamics model, or other mapping or mathematical model showing impact over time. The extent to which the model can be quantified, or populated, will depend on the nature and extent of evidence;

• Providing an explanatory report (including documentation if need be) of any model or map/diagram produced.

The ideal outcome is a model showing the possible connections between climate change in the UK and:

• The increased risks of contextual harm, e.g. sexual and criminal exploitation; 
• The increased risks of child abuse within familial and community settings, i.e. sexual, physical, emotional abuse and neglect;
• The impact on the ability of services to effectively safeguard children;
• The impact on factors known to increase the risk of child abuse (e.g. poverty, financial insecurity, parental ill health).

The work will probably be iterative, with an initial relatively simple high-level model/diagram; followed by more detailed modelling where this would be valuable,  if there is sufficient volunteer time. 

Skills needed include: elicitation of expert views (experience of facilitating online workshops will be particularly helpful); model-building (causal loop/influence diagramming and system dynamics capability are likely to be useful, but other approaches may also work well).  Prior knowledge of risk factors around child and adolescent abuse/neglect and criminal exploitation would be extremely useful, but is not required.  Knowledge of climate change research may also be helpful. 

This project is particularly suited to a number of volunteers working together so if you are interested but only have some of the required skills, please get in touch.

Location: Remote working.

Commitment: Time commitment to be determined by volunteer when completing detailed project proposal with NSPCC.

Desired project start date: As soon as possible.

Desired project completion date: End April, if possible.

Apply:

If you feel you are able to offer your assistance please complete the application form and return along with your CV to ProBonoOR@theorsociety.com by Monday 7th March 2022.

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 NSPCC is the UK's leading children’s charity. They’ve been looking out for children for over 130 years. From campaigns to services - they strive to make a difference in everything they do. 

For further information about the NSPCC please visit www.nspcc.org.uk

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

NSPCC - revising internal communications strategy

Project Summary

Provide support to the NSPCC to inform the revision of their internal communications strategy. 

The pandemic necessitated remote working for most of the workforce and a change in the way that the NSPCC delivers its services.  With this organisation change and a shift towards hybrid office/remote working, the NSPCC are reviewing their internal communication strategy.  The team are keen to ensure that changes to the strategy are audience informed and have maximum impact in a working environment with reduced physical presence. It’s also important to consider the requirements of staff and volunteers who continue to work and volunteer from NSPCC buildings to deliver essential services for children and families.

The communications strategy will support delivery of the organisation’s long-term goals, re-engage volunteers post pandemic and build trust following organisational change. 

Project Description

The NSPCC request OR support with the delivery of their revised communications strategy in the following areas: 

• Analysis of existing data and research on communication channel usage and audience feedback;

• Qualitative and quantitative research into audience needs for communications;

• Audience segmentation based on data and research findings;

• Metrics development for measuring the impact of the revised communications strategy, within the existing management information framework of KPIs.

OR support is required to ensure that the communications strategy is evidence based and content can be prioritised based on audience need.

Experience in qualitative research, workshop facilitation and data analysis would be ideal for this pro bono project opportunity.

Location: Primarily remote working with on site meetings (London).

Commitment: Time commitment to be determined by volunteer when completing detailed project proposal with NSPCC.

The Internal Communications team have a lot of work taking place in April related to a new EDI action plan for the organisation which would impact their capacity as well as audience, so ideally the research would take place before April. 

Desired project start date: As soon as possible.

Desired project completion date: As soon as possible.

Apply:

If you feel you are able to offer your assistance please complete the application form and return along with your CV to ProBonoOR@theorsociety.com by Wednesday 13th April 2022.

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 NSPCC is the UK's leading children’s charity. They’ve been looking out for children for over 130 years. From campaigns to services - they strive to make a difference in everything they do. 

For further information about the NSPCC please visit www.nspcc.org.uk

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

Medway Voluntary Action - Survey design to support users

Project Summary

To design surveys that can help Medway Voluntary Action (MVA) understand how they could better support their users.

Project description

Development of survey questions to allow MVA to easily analyse results in order to understand how they might be able to better support their users. 

MVA have identified two areas where they would like to gather data:

• How satisfied their users are with their service (for example, a feedback form to be included in their email signatures and/or sent following a service call); and

• How they can better support users (for example, how users have been coping with Covid). MVA send ‘state of the sector’ surveys twice a year and require structured results that they can analyse more easily.

Location

The work can be done remotely (offices in Chatham, Kent). 

Commitment

Time commitment to be determined by volunteer when completing detailed project proposal with MVA. 

MVA reports are submitted quarterly, therefore a view of systematic changes is required prior to July’s submission.

Desired project start date

As soon as possible.

Desired project completion date

As soon as possible.

Apply

If you feel you are able to offer your assistance please complete the application form and return along with your CV to ProBonoOR@theorsociety.com by Monday 23rd May 2022.

The OR Society fully supports equal opportunities.

Information about the organisation

MVA support local not-for-profit organisations, groups and community members to develop skills, build resources and amplify their voice.

For further information about MVA please visit www.mva.org.uk

Information about Pro Bono OR

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