Research
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.
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 better efforts to evidence t
Evaluating Friends Provident Foundation’s ‘Building Resilient Economies’ Programme
NPC has evaluated the Friends Provident Foundation's Building Resilient Economies Programme. We've found bold approaches that have galvanised organisations to think and work differently, as well as important questions of values.
Understanding women’s pathways through the criminal justice system
More than 13,500 women are imprisoned in the UK every year. The reasons why are complex but they must be understood if these numbers are to be reduced. This research has been commissioned by the J Leon Philanthropy Council to gain a better understanding of women’s pathways into and through the criminal justice system.
Diversity in governance: The what, why and how
This paper outlines what it means to have a truly diverse board of trustees and what it brings to an organisation. It also explores how to manage and maintain a board that is diverse.
Start, collaborate, and listen.
Tris Lumley, Director of Innovation & Development, is back with a brand new invention: using design principles to help charities, beneficiaries and tech people work better together.
Capturing the impact in impact investment
Among all the rush and clamour around the exciting field of impact investment, how do we ensure that investments provide social impact as well as financial returns? Plum Lomax shares some preliminary outputs of new NPC research.
Let’s talk mission and merger
Reflections from Iona Joy, Head of Charities, as we launch new research on merger in the charity sector.
4 insights from working with ‘experts by experience’
We talk a lot about the need for charities to involve the intended user when designing services. But we also know that it’s easier said than done. So we decided to have a go at doing. Here are four things we learned from mapping young people's experiences in Camden.
My best life: Priorities for digital technology in the youth sector
Over twelve months, we worked with a group of young people experiencing multiple disadvantages in the London Borough of Camden. We sought to understand their experiences—as told in their own words—and identify how digital technology could help.
Do we need more impactful corporate-charity partnerships?
Social upheaval provides incentives for charities and businesses to come together. But often such partnerships aren’t designed to maximise impact. We researched the challenges both sides face, and examples of partnerships that are breaking the mould. Here’s what we found.’
Building more impactful corporate-charity partnerships
How non-profits and for-profits can work better to together and make a bigger difference for people and causes.
