This guide will help you if you are looking to present and communicate the findings from an evaluation of a mentoring or befriending project.
Things you'll need
- monitoring information and analysis
Focus on the learning and difference your project makes
Your write up should bring together findings on what your project has achieved and what you have learnt. The learning is critical to ensuring you and others use the evaluation to develop and improve your mentoring or befriending project.
To help organise your findings go back to the changes, learning and benefits (the outcomes) you wanted your mentoring or befriending project to have. What findings do you have for each outcome? Bring together your quantitative and qualitative evidence for each, summarising the changes that have or haven’t happened and identify the factors that have helped or hindered. You could, for example, have a different heading for each outcome or group of outcomes. You also need to include findings on the unexpected changes brought about by your mentoring or befriending project, both negative or positive.
There will also be evaluation findings on your services and activities, for example, on how many activities have been provided and how satisfied service users were. Report on what went well with your activities and how things could be improved.
Be clear about the audience
Think about the best format for your write up and whether you need to present your findings in different ways for different groups of people - for example, project staff may need a report with more detailed findings and learning, whereas your service users may only want headlines on the difference the project has made and recommendations for developing it. You could ask for their views on how you can best communicate the findings from your evaluation - what findings will your audiences find most useful and interesting?
Think creatively about how to present your findings
If you want to produce a formal report, think about who will be reading it and the best ways to get them interested in the findings – for example, using graphs, tables, images, photographs, word clouds and case studies (see guidance for writing case studies). Use quotes if you have them as this can bring your findings to life. Evaluation Support Scotland has useful guidance on writing an evaluation report.
There are many ways to present your evaluation findings - being creative can help capture the attention of your audience.
- Slide deck of findings
- One or two page summaries
- Verbal presentations, for example at an event or meeting
- Posters
- Bulletins or newsletters
- Press releases
- Web pages
- Blogs
- Videos
Share your findings
Different groups of people might be interested in your evaluation findings – project staff, service users, mentors, befrienders, funders and others.
Make sure you share your findings, particularly with those who have taken the time to be involved with your evaluation. This includes sharing the learning from your evaluation and being honest about what hasn’t gone so well with your project. Invite people to reflect and feedback on the evaluation findings.
Further information
This is the fourth part of five ‘how to guides’ which will help you monitor and evaluate your mentoring or befriending project.
- How to plan the monitoring and evaluation of your project
- How to collect monitoring information
- How to analyse and make sense of your monitoring information
- How to use and learn from your evaluation
Examples
Mosaic Primary School Programme (Prince’s Trust)
A mentoring project which aims to increase the confidence and aspirations of 9 to 11 year olds and their parents.
Examples of infographics, videos and written case studies
Friendship Works (Family Action)
Provides a mentoring service for disadvantaged children and young people in London.
Examples of written case studies and videos
North London Cares
Connects young professionals with their older neighbours in Camden and Islington to help reduce loneliness and isolation and improve well-being and confidence.
Example of an evaluation report using graphs, quotes and case studies
Paiwd’s Young Refugees Mentoring Project
A mentoring project supporting 11 to 18 year old refugees, asylum seekers and unaccompanied minors in Northwest London.
Example of a report summarising the evaluation findings for key planned outcomes, unexpected outcomes and learning for the project.
Leeds Asylum Seekers’ Support Network
The Befriending Service provides support to asylum seekers and refugees in Leeds.
Example of an evaluation report using graphics and with a section on learning and recommendations for the project.
Make it! (Toynbee Hall)
Youth project for 12 – 13 year olds combining one-to-one mentoring sessions and learning projects
Back to Life (Timebank)
Mentoring scheme providing support to 18 to 35 year olds recovering from mental health issues
Example of case studies
Move On
Services include mentoring and befriending for
those affected by homelessness and vulnerable
young people.
Example of an evaluation executive summary
using visuals
And case studies and video
Working one-to-one with young offenders (Prince’s Trust)
A pilot project enabling ex-prisoners to mentor young people.
Example of an evaluation summary which includes case studies and recommendations
Contributors
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Debbie Valentine
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Mark Barratt