Our online event attracted an audience of over 120 people who are involved or interested in bringing about systemic change in their communities. We summarise their views on how to bring about local change.
28 November 2023
Following the recent publication of the report Learning From The First Three Years of Working With Communities by our learning and evaluation partner Brightpurpose, we hosted an online event for more than 120 people who are involved or interested in bringing about systemic change in their communities.
The report summarises learnings from our ongoing work in six communities where we are bringing together local organisations and groups to find new ways of designing and delivering services for the benefit of local people facing complex issues.
During the webinar, we heard from Helen Highley, author of the report, as well as Foundation staff and partner organisations involved in the work locally. There was an opportunity for attendees to reflect on the learnings from the report, as well as share their own experiences, challenges and ideas.
We were keen to hear others’ experience and their reflections on our learning. So for part of the session, participants discussed one of two questions in small groups:
We’ve summarised some of the key themes that emerged from these discussions below.
Impact should be defined by local communities
There was a general consensus in the groups that impact, and success, should be defined by communities themselves – rather than being defined by funders or having prescribed objectives from the start.
Funders and charities can’t necessarily know what impact looks like. Local people should decide on the outcomes they want and participate in the impact monitoring process. However, organisations can play a helpful role in helping communities describe, define and measure impact. It’s also important to create an environment for people in communities to feel safe and empowered to be able to speak openly about their experiences and share feedback with organisations.
Impact is hard to measure
There were some conversations around the challenges of measuring impact, especially in the short-term as it may take decades to become visible. When embarking on long-term projects, we may not see change or impact in the short-term but that doesn’t mean progress isn’t being made. To counter this, we can break down long-term goals into short-term milestones to see that the work is headed in the right direction and keep everyone motivated.
Sometimes impact will be a subtle shift in feelings or behaviours within the community – and this can be difficult to measure. In addition, different communities will have their own priorities and ways of defining success or measuring impact so there cannot be a one-size-fits-all approach.
It can be hard for organisations on the ground, who are involved in the detail, to see the bigger picture – impact evaluation requires constant zooming in and out.
Flexibility is needed
Some expressed that there needs to be more trust and belief in them from funders. They felt that funders were too focused on numbers, and putting pressure on them to ‘jump through hoops’ to showcase impact without understanding the local context.
There was discussion around the challenges of data gathering which can often be burdensome to communities (and costly for charities) and steps need to be taken to ensure it is not extractive. Funders need to be flexible in how they understand change in communities and measure impact.
It was suggested that it could be helpful for charities to develop longer-term relationships with funders and develop approaches together that allow for flexibility and adaptation as things change.
In discussions around tools to measure impact, there was an agreement that there needs to be a mix of qualitative and quantitative measures, and short-term and long-term evaluation, but ultimately it can be difficult to move away from familiar approaches. Flexibility is key – try using a range of tools, stay open minded and adapt as things change. Try to understand why certain approaches work in a certain area or with a particular group, so that learning can be transferred to other areas.
Diversity is key
There was also discussion about ensuring that diverse voices are heard – the more people that are involved in the work, the better the outcomes will be for communities. The six places the Foundation is currently working in are demographically less diverse than other places in England and Wales. There is an ongoing challenge to reach the diverse communities that exist in these places, especially when they’re not as visible. It’s a problem if certain groups are not included as impact and true change will be limited.
Peoples and Communities online event panellists
A commitment to building trust and relationships
Building trust and relationships was identified by the discussion groups as an essential foundation for the work. But when funders, commissioners, service providers and local people are in the same room and expected to work together, this trust does not always come easily. A key issue is the power dynamics at play. People from small charities expressed feeling overlooked by local authorities, for example, or feeling like they had little power compared to larger organisations.
There was discussion around how organisations are often competitive because resources are tight. It takes time to leave their organisational priorities behind to work towards a common goal. People need to leave their lanyards and agendas at the door, but this is really hard to do in practice.
How can we break down the hierarchy and competition between different charities and organisations? Some ideas included building relationships outside of a work context, having ground rules on how to communicate with each other, making space for everyone to have a say, and understanding and addressing power dynamics.
Being inclusive and community-led
There was agreement that to make meaningful change within communities, there needs to be a common vision and shared values, with community members actively involved in the work. It is important that there is a space where people can come together as equals and share their views, ensuring that diverse viewpoints are heard and responded to.
There needs to be bottom-up leadership, with local people leading the change. For organisations like the Foundation, the emphasis must be on building local leadership and encouraging local ownership within the community.
Clear communication
When approaching something in a new way, it can be hard for people to grasp the concept or understand what is expected of them. The challenge is to explain the work in a way that resonates with people. There was discussion around the need to avoid jargon and acronyms, which often cause confusion and are a barrier to engagement. Instead, use clear language that everyone can understand. It also involves skill and persuasiveness to get people on board and encourage local people to take ownership.
Becoming comfortable in ambiguity
When working in innovative ways, there is often a lot of ambiguity. To move forward, people must become comfortable with this ambiguity and let things emerge and evolve. When people don’t see quick results, they to default to familiar solutions like projects and services, as it’s what they are used to, but there needs to be a mindset shift to allow for a new way of doing things and a long-term approach.
We value all of these reflections, and they will help guide us as we move forward into the next phase of our work with communities. We hope that the learnings shared so far will be useful to you as well.
If you weren’t able to attend, you can watch a recording of the event on YouTube below. You can also read the full learning and evaluation report by Brightpurpose here where there's also a toolkit to provide a framework for system change in communities.
We’d love to hear from you if you’ve also been involved in systems change – join the conversation online using the hashtag #LocalChange - we're on X (formerly Twitter) and LinkedIn. And if you’d like to find out more or get involved in our work with communities, get in touch with Harriet, our People & Communities lead, by emailing hballance@lloydsbankfoundation.org.uk
