Age Exchange
The challenge
Age Exchange is a charity using reminiscence arts to transform lives improving health and wellbeing, the particularly work with older people, people with dementia and their carers. They work in care homes and day centres, provide training in reminiscence arts, and run a café and community hub in Blackheath, London. Age Exchange contacted NPC for help developing a theory of change and evaluation framework to coincide with their new strategy.
Our approach
Age Exchange wanted to gather evidence of the impact of its work with older people, people with dementia and carers, and to ensure that all the charity’s activities contributed to its goal. A priority for the new strategy was to improve the financial sustainability of the organisation, including the development of new income streams.
We worked with the organisation to run a theory of change workshop with staff and provide a write up. This was the foundation for creating a measurement framework, which drew on existing evidence and tools relevant to their work. Finally, we made practical recommendations for implementing the approach.
The result
Age Exchange has been gradually implementing the measurement framework across its services, and using the evidence review in conversations with partners. The theory of change has helped focus on Age Exchange’s key goals, and communicate its story to others.
NPC lived up to my expectation of being one of the market leaders in the sector.
Rebecca Packwood
Chief Executive , Age Exchange
Resources
Creating your theory of change: NPC’s practical guide
On 19 November 2014.
A theory of change is a tool that allows you to describe the need you are trying to address, the changes you want to make (your outcomes), and what you plan to do (your activities). It can help you improve your strategy, measurement, communication and partnership working.
Resources
Thinking big: How to use theory of change for systems change
On 7 March 2018.
Applied well, theory of change can support charities and funders to take a systemic approach to their work. This report identifies five common pitfalls when using theory of change, and walks through five rules that will help organisations to use the approach to tackle complex problems.
Resources
Theory of change: The beginning of making a difference
On 28 January 2013.
A decade ago, the term ‘theory of change’ meant little to the UK charity sector. But today, more and more charities are using theories of change, and more and more funders are asking to see them. So what is a theory of change, and why is it so valuable?
