User involvement
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Involving users means working ‘with people’ not doing things ‘to people’. At NPC we believe charities and funders work best when they involve their beneficiaries in governance, designing services, and developing strategy.
The people whom charities and funders exist to help often have little or no influence over those organisations’ decisions. To achieve impact, it’s critical that charities and funders find meaningful ways for their beneficiaries to let them know how they would like things to be different.
As the evaluation partner for the Building Connections Fund, we supported grant-holders in co-design processes. From this, we’ve published guidance on how to implement and evaluate co-design which is applicable to almost any project, and we run regular training sessions to help you put it into practice. Get in touch with our consultants for support with your project.
Featured resources and commentary on user involvement
Resources
Implementing and evaluating co-design
Our five-stage roadmap for planning and implementing your co-design. We also explore how to evaluate your outcomes and processes, and how to learn from the data.
Resources
Make it count: Why impact matters in user involvement
Involving users in shaping services and strategies is increasingly considered to be both the right and most effective way for the social sector and charities to work. This paper argues for a greater focus in the social sector on what user involvement aims to achieve and evidencing its effectiveness.
Blog
Why we need to do user involvement right
User involvement is in the spotlight, and while participatory and influencing practices are nothing new, they are now making it to the mainstream. But are they being used as well as they could be? Rosie McLeod, Deputy Head of Measurement and Evaluation explores her new research.
Latest updates
Blog
Hannah Paterson and Yasmin Ibison: What place for participation in grant-making?
To mark our 20th birthday, we spoke with Hannah Paterson and Yasmin Ibison to ask: What place for participation in grant-making?
Blog
Young Trustees Movement: How should philanthropy learn from young people?
To mark our 20th birthday, we spoke with the Young Trustees Movement to ask: How should philanthropy learn from young people?
Blog
What should the future look like for involving people and communities in the work of charities?
To mark our 20th birthday, we spoke with Rethink Mental Illness to ask: What should the future look like for involving people and communities in the work of charities?
Talk to us
Got a question, comment, or want to work with us on user involvement? Get in touch with Charlotte Lamb NPC’s User Voice Lead.
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