Council produces new resource to help community arts self-assess

IFACCA/Artshub, 29 October 2004,United Kingdom

The Arts Council of Northern Ireland have released an evaluation toolkit to help voluntary and community arts organisations in the region assess their work and its social impact. Arts organisations in Northern Ireland are subject to strong pressures to measure their achievements. The new kit was commissioned by the Council in response to a 2003 survey of arts organisations that found 90 per cent of participants believed that improved evaluation mechanisms would aid their organisation in its goals. The same survey found that a majority of arts groups were keen to take responsibility for their own evaluation processes, but required extra help to do this efficiently. The Voluntary and Community Arts Evaluation Toolkit is the result, aiming, through a systematic approach, to increase the consistency of evaluation for individual arts organisations, and so the entire sector can make a stronger case to the Government. The toolkit, prepared by Annabel Jackson of Annabel Jackson and Associates with an evaluation steering group, is the first stage of a larger process spearheaded by the Council that will see evaluation extended to all sectors of the arts and evaluate the impact of their work on audiences as well as participants. Key components of the kit include sections on how to integrate evaluation into day to day operations and management systems; how to connect evaluation procedures to other areas of business (such as financial performance, members and staff); and how to include evaluation techniques and results in an arts business plan – which empowers an organisation to gauge strengths and weaknesses, and set sensible priorities. It is hoped the document will help community and voluntary arts groups deepen their social and cultural impact over time. To download the toolkit as a PDF, CLICK HERE.

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