Evaluation of VCFSE sector capacity building and support for volunteering.

Spark Somerset is the main infrastructure organisation in the county providing support to the voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) sector. We co-ordinate the voice of, and advocate on behalf of, the VCFSE sector across Somerset.

Our support enables individual VCFSE groups and organisations to develop, improve and sustain their services through the provision of training for staff and volunteers, advising on operational and governance policy and procedures, assisting with funding applications and bid writing, and ensuring safeguarding duties are met.  

Background 
Funder: The UK Shared Prosperity Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK, investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills. Funding was secured by Somerset Council who distributed awards to organisations across Somerset.  

Project: Spark Somerset were awarded funding to build capacity within the VCFSE sector and support volunteering across the county. This 12-month project began in March 2024 underpinned by nine objectives: 

1. State of the Sector: An updated version of the 2020 research and report which seeks to understand the latest needs of the sector.   
2. Insights Hub: develop and pilot an online tool where VCFSE organisations can share high quality data.
3. Training: identify training needs for VCFSE organisations across Somerset and offer development opportunities. 
4. Funding & enterprise: supporting VCFSE organisations with access to a broader range of funding opportunities. 
5. SkillShare: support and training with core ‘back office’ skills; pilot a series of one-to-one sessions where existing knowledge/skills within the sector are exchanged between organisations.  
6. Extranet: a platform for VCFSE organisations to share resources, network, collaborate and gain peer support. 
7. Peer networks: based on locality, thematic specialisms, shared issues and/or emergent needs 
8. Volunteering campaign: a county-wide initiative aimed to raise the profile of volunteering for the people of Somerset. 
9. Community organising: an asset-based approach in two locations across Somerset to support community initiatives and volunteering. 

Evaluation 
Purpose: To evaluate the overall project and report impact associated with the nine key objectives. The specific topics for exploration will be co-developed alongside the successful evaluator(s). Indicative evaluation questions include:  

• What is the efficacy of the overall project and constituting objectives? 
• What is most/least effective to achieve intended outcomes? 
• What has worked well / could have been done differently? 
• What are the implications for beneficiaries, the VCFSE sector, and communities across Somerset?  
• What/how could be replicated for other geographic settings or contexts? 
• How we can best build on or sustain the positive impacts made?

Methodology: Spark Somerset is committed to innovative and creative approaches to support our communities. The appointed evaluator(s) should be experienced in co-developing mixed methodologies which will likely include: 

• Scoping: identify, synthesise and evaluate national reports/publications/baseline data relevant to the project 
• Metrics: number of beneficiaries, characteristics, participant journey 
• Impact measurement: project objectives; individual participants, VCFSE organisation(s), community members
• Primary data collection: surveys interviews, focus groups 
• Infrastructure: administration, project management systems, processes and monitoring 

Deliverables & audience:

• Comprehensive written report for funder 
• Executive summary and infographic for public dissemination 
• Online presentation to Spark Somerset’s Board of Trustees 
• Regular meetings with the project team and Spark Somerset. 

Timeframe & budget: The evaluation will take place between October 2024 and April 2025. The budget is a maximum of £3,000 inclusive of any VAT or expenses. This includes the costs of all research activities (desk-based, data collection, analysis, reporting, travel, expenses). 

Application 
To be considered for this work, please submit a document of no more than 2 A4 pages by 5pm on Monday 21st October which briefly outlines: 

• Background of you/your organisation
• Previous experience and/or examples of similar projects 
• Proposed methodology 
• Proposed timeline including key milestones. 

We welcome applications from all areas but priority will be given to Somerset based organisations. 

For more information or to submit your proposal, please email Jenny Hannis using the link below.

This project is being funded by the UK Government through the Shared Prosperity Fund.