Demonstrate the difference you make to your community

Showing the impact of the work you do offers you and your community a cause for celebration, it opens up funding opportunities and demonstrates why you’re a great organisation to support.

Monitoring can involve:

• Measuring the number of activities delivered (output)

Example: We delivered 45 coffee mornings over 12 months

• Measuring the number of beneficiaries supported (output)

Example: 200 older adults attended coffee mornings over 12 months

• Measuring the number of volunteers supported (output)

Example: Three volunteers were recruited and supported to facilitate coffee mornings

• Measuring immediate changes in beneficiaries’ quality of life as a result of your work (outcome)

Example: 60% of coffee morning attendees reported improved self-esteem after attending coffee mornings

• The projected long term impact of your work. This is harder to measure but demonstrates your consideration of how the projects supports your wider community and fits in the local ecology (social value)

Example: Improved self-esteem among older adults leads to better health and greater social connection. This reduces pressure on statutory mental health services and other health and social care services. The older adult population of our town are healthier, happier and have more social opportunities as a result of our coffee mornings.

Your grant monitoring report

At Heart of England Community Foundation, we are interested in all of the above monitoring approaches. We want to know what your project delivered, the difference it has already made and its longer-term impact.

The feedback provided in monitoring reports ought to be proportionate to the grant size. Monitoring of large grants ought to include measured outcomes, stories and consideration of the wider positive difference your work supports, as well as outputs. Smaller grant reports (£5k or less) might focus more on outputs.

Finance reporting

We will also need to see how your grant was spent, noting differences between the projected spend and the actual spend. Differences are normal and ok, especially if the work is new to you or there are unexpected changes. It is important to contact the Grants Team to discuss any significant changes in your project spend.

Receipts for single items of expenditure over £200 should be kept and submitted with your report.

If you have not spent your grant in full, a member of the Grants Team will contact you to discuss.

Demonstrating your impact through stories

Case studies, beneficiary and volunteer feedback and photos/videos bring your monitoring report to life. Individual stories of change demonstrate the difference you’re making really well. Permission should be gained for sharing photos/videos and case studies/feedback should remain anonymous with any identifiable information removed.

Case study example:

Tony was signposted to the coffee morning by his local food bank. Tony lives alone and told us that he lacks confidence in social situations. At the first coffee morning he attended, Tony was quiet and avoided eye contact. Tony later told us he nearly didn’t return as he didn’t know how to interact with the group. Happily, Tony did return two weeks later. One of our volunteer facilitators struck up a one-to-one conversation with Tony, which put him at ease. He told us he was surprised and grateful to be remembered and welcomed back into the group. Slowly, Tony felt able to talk to more people. Now, six months later, Tony attends regularly and confidently engages with the whole group. Tony speaks with greater confidence, he smiles more and tells jokes.

(names changed)