measuring the impact of your campaigns
DESCRIPTION
Jo White, World Horse Welfare www.charitycomms.org.uk/eventsTRANSCRIPT
Measuring and Communicating
Your Impact Conference
29 June 2011
CharityComms is the professional membership body for charity communicators. We believe charity communications
are integral to each charity’s work for a better world.
W: www.charitycomms.org.uk T: 020 7426 8877
Measuring the Impact of Your Campaigns
Jo White
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• World Horse Welfare Campaigns Advisor
• Worked for the charity for 10 years
• Managing Director of Progressive Ideas
• Managed campaigns in the UK and Europe
• Worked in all aspects of campaigning:–Evidence collection and research–Pressing decision makers for policy changes–Educational solutions–Engaging and mobilising support.
Introductions
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The presentation
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Impact
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• Influence, effect…
• …forcible contact, collide forcefully!
• For the charity…campaigning impact is about making a difference and achieving positive change…
• …it can also be the performance of a fundraising or marketing campaign.
Impact?
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• Are you succeeding? Is your strategy working?
• Are you achieving your goals and objectives?
• Are you making a difference?
• Is the campaign offering value to beneficiaries, charity, supporters?
• Essential in identifying strengths, weaknesses opportunities and threats.
The value of measuring campaign impact
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“Evaluation is about accessing the benefits of hindsight at the earliest possible opportunity. Through carefully monitoring the implementation of a campaign, and measuring the progress towards its objectives, unfruitful approaches can be rectified early and campaign objectives revised or the design strengthened for maximum impact.”
The Campaign Handbook by Mark Lattimer
Evaluating the campaign
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Campaigns can be particularly difficult to evaluate for two main reasons:
– Reliable indicators of progress are often hard to find
– Social change usually occurs by a complex set of interrelated factors, therefore a direct link to campaigning action is not always easy to establish.
However…
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In order to effectively measure a campaign’s impact and map a route to successthe following must be covered:
Strategy + baseline data at start + on-going measurement & evaluation of data
Mapping a route to success
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Tools - framework for measuring impact
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Ideas
Evidence & research –field, desk, scientific
Political –meetings, consultatio
n
Strategy / plan
Implement
Baseline
measurement
Profile –supporter, media…
Identifyimpact
measuring tools
IMPACT
Achieve positive change, make a
difference
Education – courses, literature…
Ongoing data collection, evaluation, measurement and review of impact
Outputs
13
Campaign
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• What matters to your organisation -motivations and goals?
• Establish the need – what problem are you trying to resolve?
• A clear strategy:– Campaign goal – define what are you
trying to achieve / change?– SMART objectives
• What is your approach?– Are you trying to change policy,
practice, attitude, awareness?– Are you taking an insider or outsider
approach?
A successful campaign
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Case example
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• Dedicated to giving abused and neglected horses a second chance in life
• Making a long-term difference to horse welfare
• …So why do we campaign..?
What matters to the charity as a whole?
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Greater impact upon a greater number of horses
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• Long-term: An end to the long-distance transportation of horses for slaughter in Europe; replacing it with a carcase only trade.
• Short-term: Welfare improvements for horses transported on these journeys, supported by robust enforcement.
Campaign goal…
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Why?
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• Around 80,000 horses are transported thousands of miles, each year to be slaughtered for meat
• Journeys can last for days on end
• Horses suffer - injury, disease, stress, exhaustion, dehydration
• These journeys are totally needless – one route passes 180 slaughterhouses registered to take horses.
Why does the campaign exist?
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• Achieve an end to the long-distance transport of horses for slaughter in Europe by 2020
• Achieve a 50% reduction in the number of horses transported to slaughter by 2016
• Achieve amendments within EU policy to improve the conditions under which horses are transported to slaughter in Europe by 2015
• Introduce guidance and associated educational initiatives on the issue of water provision for each stage of the journey by 2012.
SMART objectives
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Gather Evidence+
Raise Awareness, engage support, educate+
Political Activity=
Change Policy, Practice & Attitudes
We take a combined insider and outsiderapproach – we work with people, but are
prepared to show our teeth!
Our approach
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Our approach to planning
Research
Review
Profile/Education Political
Plan
Idea
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Measuring impact
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• There are some obvious answers:– Has the overall campaign goal/target been
achieved?– Have the SMART objectives been achieved?
– Is there an improvement related to the campaigning activity undertaken by the charity?
• But how do you make sure that this is down to the campaign?
– Baseline data needs to be collected before the campaign starts
– This should be compared to data collected at regular intervals as the campaign progresses.
Measuring the impact of a campaign?
The Campaigning Handbook By Mark Lattimer
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• A measure of what is happening at a point in time before the campaign starts.
• Forms part of the process to establish whether a campaign is actually the best means to achieve positive change in the specific area.
• What sort of campaign is needed: change policy, raising awareness, education, changing practice and/or attitudes.
• A mix of different approaches to data collection - quantitative and qualitative –stats and the story
• Designed so that a consistent approach can be taken to all future data collection.
Baseline data?
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Case example
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Challenge – the campaign started in 1927
•Desk research – establishing the number of horses involved, economics and infrastructure of the trade
•Field research – establishing the key welfare problems and what drives the trade
•Scientific research – peer reviewed and able to withstand scrutiny
•Stakeholder research – who it involved, what are their views, can we work with them?
•Supporter research – who will back the campaign to help achieve success, and what engages them?
Undertaken on an on-going basis…
Baseline and on -going measurement
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• Long-term: An end to the long-distance transportation of horses for slaughter
in Europe; replacing it with a carcase only trade – NOT YET
• Short-term: Welfare improvements for horses transported on these journeys, supported by robust enforcement – YES, STILL MORE TO DO.
Has the overall campaign goal been achieved?
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• An end to live trade by 2020 – not yet
• Achieve 50% reduction in live trade by 2016 – between 2001 – 2011 we recorded a reduction in numbers from around 165,000 to 80,000
• Achieve amendments within EU policy to improve the conditions by 2015 – we achieved tangible improvements to legislation agreed in 2004, implemented 2007
• Introduce guidance and educational initiatives by 2012 – proposal received backing from eminent scientific experts, now to be implemented.
SMART objectives
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Outputs, outcomes and impact
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• Measuring impact will tell you whether you are successfully moving towards achieving your campaign goals
• Measuring outputs and their related outcomes will tell you whether your campaigning activity is successful
• It is important to measure both, and to cross-reference to see if the overall approach is working.
Outputs, outcomes and impact
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•Evidence – research, reports etc
•Political – PQs, consultations, meetings etc
•Profile – media, promotional activities and literature
•Campaign supporter activity: holding events, signing postcards, petitions meeting politicians etc
•Educational – training events, literature
Campaign outputs
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Case example
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Campaign activities outputs and outcomes
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•Dossier of Evidence 2008 –presented to European Commission
•Scientific peer reviewed research -published Equine Veterinary journal
•Evidence packages submitted to the European Food Standards Authority examining the latest evidence for the European Commission – included in report.
Evidence and research – field, desk and scientific:
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•Written Declaration – 54/2009 over 50% MEP’s signed, one of only five animal welfare Declarations ever tabled, first ever for horse welfare
•Consultations – on legislation and enforcement – sit on Defra expert working group
•PQ’s on number of horses exported from different Member States to slaughter; pressing the EC for action in relation to the Declaration.
Political – PQs, consultations, meetings…
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• Growing base of campaign supporter, undertaking a variety of actions: holding events, signing postcards, petitions, meeting politicians etc
• Profile – media, promotional activities and literature
• Educational – training events, literature.
Profile and supporters
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Tools and tips
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Tools - framework for measuring impact
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Ideas
Evidence & research –field, desk, scientific
Political – PQs,
meetings, consultatio
n
Strategy / plan
Implement
Baseline
measurement
Profile –supporter, media…
Identifyimpact
measuring tools
IMPACT
Achieve positive change, make a
difference
Education – training, literature…
Ongoing data collection, evaluation, measurement and review of impact
Outputs
42
• Undertake measurements and establish baseline data before you start your campaign – essential to develop the right strategy
• Relate your baseline data collection to your ongoing approach tomeasuring impact – to ensure consistency and value
• Keep things simple and relevant – only record data of value, that will be used
• If your campaign isn’t working use your data to identify why – Act
• Utilise those who are not directly involved to check your approach – a fresh pair of eyes can be the quickest evaluation mechanism if time and resources are limited, as they will identify new things
• Make time to evaluate your campaign – there are big benefits!
Tips…
