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evalsupscot.bsky.social
Evaluation Support Scotland
@evalsupscot.bsky.social
140 followers 71 following 42 posts
Working with third sector organisations and funders so that they can measure and explain their impact.

(Reposts are not endorsement).

🌀 https://evaluationsupportscotland.org.uk/
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We’re delighted to be hosting an event - 'the Joy of Clear Outcomes' - at the Gathering 2026! Join us and SCVO on the 10th and 11th of February at the EICC!

Booking now open for SCVO members ➡️ scvo.scot/the-gatherin...
A promotion for SCVO’S The Gathering 2026, which will be held on the 10th & 11th of February at the EICC, Edinburgh. The main text reads: We’re a Gathering event host… Booking now open exclusively to SCVO members. In the footer of the graphic it shows the SCVO website URL: scvo.scot/the-gathering, and the event hashtag: #SCVOGathering.
December 10, 2025 at 2:01 PM
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Do you work towards health-related outcomes? ❤️ Does your support include physical activity or sport? 🤸‍♀️

Thrive Training can help you get the best out of your practices!

Our next 3-part course begins January, secure your place now! ➡️ actify.org.uk/module/2997
A graphic showing a cycle. Title: Thrive The cycle shows three steps. Starting from the top of the cycle the steps are ‘plan’, ‘do’ and ‘review’. Each step has smaller steps associated with it – which are illegible at this resolution. In the centre is the outline of a person, with the text ‘person centred’ written across. In the top corner of the graphic are the logos for Actify and Evaluation Support Scotland.
November 27, 2025 at 2:56 PM
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Thrive is back! 🤸

Thrive Training is a certified course designed to help organisations evaluate the impact of using physical activity and sport to achieve their outcomes.

Our next 3-part course begins in January, secure your place now! ➡️ evaluationsupportscotland.org.uk/events/thriv...
A graphic which shows text, accompanying an image of a 3 part cycle. The text reads: Thrive. A learning & training programme helping practitioners understand more about how to use physical activity, or sport, to achieve a range of outcomes. The 3 parts of the cycle are: plan, do and review.
November 6, 2025 at 2:16 PM
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🚨 New workshop dates 🚨

Including:

- An additional round of 'Evaluating Prevention’
- New workshop ‘Why bother involving people in evaluation’
- The return of our funder workshop 'Getting the best from your grantholders'.

See what you could learn!💡➡️ evaluationsupportscotland.org.uk/events/
Current training workshops. Let's Evaluate! - starts 6th November (starts soon). Evaluating Prevention - 9th December (fully booked). Let's Evaluate! - starts 14th January. Evaluating Policy Influence - 21st January. Why bother involving people in evaluation? – 22nd January. Getting the best from your grantholders - 18th February. Let's Evaluate! Lite - starts 4th March. Evaluating Prevention - 22nd April.
October 22, 2025 at 8:14 AM
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Did you know we offer Shared Learning Programmes? 💡
See our infographic below to learn about the benefits of this way of reporting.

& Learn more about Shared Learning Programmes here: evaluationsupportscotland.org.uk/resources/ne...
An infographic. ‘What are the benefits of neutral facilitation? Our Shared Learning Programme is a way of ‘reporting’ where we facilitate a series of learning events for funded organisations and write reports with thematic analysis, instead of organisations submitting full written reports. So, what’re the benefits of working this way. Better and more complete learning is generated. Funded projects confirm important or emerging themes. They explore further learning, get to know each other and their funders. They gain confidence from discovering shared challenges. The learning is easier to share. This means that the learning that emerges is more complete. Shared learning reports are designed to be accessible with sections that can be extracted and easily shared. Life is made easier for the funder. This way of working involves projects and funders coming together to identify, discuss & capture shared learning. This removes pressure from funding officers.
September 29, 2025 at 12:57 PM
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Join our Autumn 'Let's Evaluate!' programme to learn how to measure your impact and explain the difference your work makes. 🍂

Register for the Autumn 2025 learning programme ➡️ evaluationsupportscotland.org.uk/events/le-no...
Let’s Evaluate! Learn how to measure your impact and demonstrate the difference your work makes. Autumn 2025 learning programme – register now! Workshop 1 – Getting started, 06/11/25 Workshop 2 – Make to measure, 20/11/25 Workshop 3 – Telling my story, 04/12/25
September 22, 2025 at 8:11 AM
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Navigating the evaluation pathway is a good way of getting started with your evaluation, or checking that you are progressing. Our new resource provides guidance to help you with each step of the pathway. 🌀

Find the resource here 💡 ➡️ evaluationsupportscotland.org.uk/resources/th...
This graphic shows the evaluation pathway: a cycle of 4 different steps. Step 1: Setting outcomes and indicators Step 2: Collecting Evidence Step 3: Analysing and reporting Step 4: Acting on your learning The cycle then repeats.
September 10, 2025 at 10:36 AM
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📣 Evaluation Leaders - save the dates!

Upcoming meetings:

- 10:00-11:30, 4th September
- 10:00-11:30, 15th December
- 10:00-11:30, 10th March

Interested in joining the Evaluation Leaders’ Network? Learn more here 🔍 ➡️ evaluationsupportscotland.org.uk/what-we-do/s...
Are you an Evaluation Leader in your organisation?
September 1, 2025 at 10:13 AM
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💡| New to self-evaluation or looking for a refresher? Let’s Evaluate! Lite begins in just a few weeks!

This compact workshop is designed to help you get started with simple evaluation systems. ✏️

Sign-up now ➡️ evaluationsupportscotland.org.uk/events/le-li...
Let’s Evaluate Lite. Autumn 2025. This workshop will be delivered over 2 days. Dates: 09:30am – 1pm, 18th of September 2025 09:30 – 1pm, 25th of September 2025
August 11, 2025 at 9:54 AM
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ESS Senior Evaluation Support Manager Gary reflects on the day: “It was a pleasure to be involved in a conference that was brimming with ideas, challenges, and inspiration. It felt like an urgent agenda, providing a barometer for current thinking across the sector."
A group of people working together on a large piece of paper – one person is holding a pen, the people are smiling/laughing. A person addressing an audience. An audience member speaking into a microphone.
July 23, 2025 at 9:30 AM
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📣 At the end of 2024 we issued our survey the ‘Big Listen’ with the aim of learning how we can respond positively to the challenges facing the third sector.

See a summary of our findings here 💡 ➡️ evaluationsupportscotland.org.uk/resources/es...
A graphic of a light bulb next to text that reads: While 65% of respondents said they could not afford evaluation support without funding, only 25% of respondents have ever had evaluation support paid for by a funder. This snippet is from the Evaluation Support Scotland survey entitled the Big Listen.
July 9, 2025 at 2:50 PM
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It’s #SmallCharityWeek!

As a small charity, we’re proud that by helping other charities measure & explain their impact, the sector is better equipped to deliver the best services for those who need them. ✅
A graphic from the Small Charity Week campaign, running from the 23rd – 28th of June. There is large text alongside a graphic of a megaphone, the text reads “Let’s help small charities make an even bigger impact’ #SmallCharityWeek.”
June 24, 2025 at 8:25 AM
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⭐ New workshop: 'Let's Evaluate! Lite' is a 1-day workshop designed to help you get started with simple evaluation systems.

Workshop dates:

🍂 Autumn: 18/09/25, 9:30am - 4:30pm

🌼 Spring: 04/03/26 & 11/03/26, 10:00am – 1:00pm

Secure your place now➡️ evaluationsupportscotland.org.uk/event-series...
Let’s Evaluate Lite workshop. New to self-evaluation or looking for a Let’s Evaluate refresher? This workshop provides an overview of the main principles involved in self-evaluation.
June 12, 2025 at 2:16 PM
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Good evaluation should be used by you💡

Our 'Acting on your learning' support guide helps you think about how you could use the learning from your evaluation.

Find the support guide - which includes examples - here➡️ evaluationsupportscotland.org.uk/resources/es...
The ESS principle: Good evaluation should be used by you, is indicated with a light bulb symbol. Along side this symbol is a graphic of a clipboard, and the text: ESS Support Guide, Acting on your learning from evaluation. Use this support guide to help you think about what you might do with the learning from your evaluation results.
May 29, 2025 at 12:39 PM
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All of our networks are free to join. 💡

See if there is a network you’d like to be part of! ➡️ evaluationsupportscotland.org.uk/homepage/net...
Did you know that we host Networks? • Evaluation Leaders’ Network • The Funder Evaluation & Learning Group • Supporting You To Support Others Network • Scotland’s Third Sector Research Forum
May 22, 2025 at 9:21 AM
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Good evaluation should fit the way you do your work. 🧩

Use our embedding evaluation checklist to reflect on what in your organisation is helping make evaluation happen, and what could be improved. 💡 ➡️ evaluationsupportscotland.org.uk/resources/em...
The main body of this image shows text alongside decorative graphics – the text reads: ESS Evaluation Methods & Tools – Embedding Evaluation Checklist. Use the embedding evaluation checklist to reflect on what in your organisation is helping make evaluation happen, and what could be improved. Next to the main body of text is a cartoon of a 4-piece jigsaw puzzle – each piece containing the outline or a person. The text underneath reads: Good evaluation should fit the way you do your work.
May 13, 2025 at 10:59 AM
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Not sure if your evaluation is good enough?

Use our 5 Principles for good evaluation self-assessment template to identify if there is room for improvement, and which principle you want to focus on first. ➡️ evaluationsupportscotland.org.uk/resources/5-...
This image shows a preview of the 5 principles self-assessment tool. Each of the principles is listed in a column, the rows are labelled with different confidence levels e.g. I have no idea, not at all, very much so.
May 6, 2025 at 12:59 PM
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Good evaluation should be about what matters. ❤️
The focus of evaluation is outcomes – what difference you make (or not), how you make that difference, and to whom.

However, if you provide support or run services that prevents something, the difference can be hard to evaluate… 🤷
The main body of this image shows text alongside decorative graphics – the text reads: ESS Support guide – Evaluating Prevention. ESS Workshop - Evaluating Prevention, 19th of June 2025, 9th of December 2025. Next to the main body of text is a cartoon of a hand underneath a heart, the text underneath reads: Good evaluation should be about what matters.
May 1, 2025 at 9:09 AM
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Our 5 principles for good evaluation can help you to judge if you are happy with your evaluation. ⭐

See our Evaluation Stories for examples of the 5 principles being put into practice. ➡️ evaluationsupportscotland.org.uk/evaluation/e...
This image shows an excerpt from the Evaluation Story: Edinburgh Food Project. The text reads: One of the key findings of this work was the importance for clients of feeling welcomed and not being stigmatised. This came out most strongly in quotes – which shows the value of having qualitative as well as quantitative survey questions! Alongside the text is a decorative graphic used to indicate an ESS principle, the caption underneath reads: ESS principle – Involves the people you support. Outside of the excerpt is text (alongside an arrow which points to the excerpt) which reads: ESS Principles for good evaluation.
April 29, 2025 at 1:25 PM
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Our 5 Principles for good evaluation can help you judge if you’re happy with your evaluation.💡

You can find resources that relate to each principle by filtering by the principle you want to learn more about.

Try it out! ➡️ evaluationsupportscotland.org.uk/resources/
This image shows a preview of the filter function on our resource page. This example shows that you can filter by ESS resources, Evaluation Pathway, Principles for good evaluation, resources by sector, resources by theme, year published, or search manually. Along side the preview of the filter panel is text that reads ‘Did you know you can use the filters on our resource page to sort by our principles for good evaluation?’. Above the text are decorative graphics which represent the 5 principles.
April 24, 2025 at 7:47 AM
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⭐ New workshop ⭐

How do you evaluate something that hasn’t happened…?🤔

Our Evaluating Prevention workshop provides practical tips and tools on how to tackle the challenge! 🛠️

Book now
➡️ evaluationsupportscotland.org.uk/event-series...
This graphic shows information for our Evaluating Prevention workshop. The text reads: At this workshop you will learn to: • Clarify what you’re preventing and for whom • Identify protective factors to generate positive outcomes • Use the above to create a theory of change • Use evidence to report on prevention activities Alongside the text there is a graphic of 4 hexagons numbered 1 to 4.
April 10, 2025 at 7:49 AM
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Do your evaluation practices need some spring cleaning..?🫧

Join our Let's Evaluate! Spring 2025 programme to learn how to measure your impact, and explain the difference your work makes. ➡️ evaluationsupportscotland.org.uk/events/gs-ap...
Let’s Evaluate! Learn how to demonstrate the difference your organisation makes. Spring 2025 learning programme – register now! Workshop 1 – Getting started, 30/04/25 Workshop 2 – Make to measure, 14/05/25 Workshop 3 – Telling my story, 28/05/25
April 8, 2025 at 9:46 AM
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Read our latest blog, to hear from the ESS team about their experiences and highlights of SCVO’s the Gathering. ✨

Find the blog here ➡️ evaluationsupportscotland.org.uk/news/ess-at-...
This image is a collage of photos of the ESS team at the gathering. In the photos the team members are talking to people at an exhibition stand, and posing for photos.
April 2, 2025 at 10:30 AM
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Our new theme centres on our 5 principles for good evaluation. 💡

The 5 principles can help you judge if you are happy with your evaluation.

Use our new self-assessment tool to check your own evaluation ➡️ evaluationsupportscotland.org.uk/resources/5-...
This image shows our 5 principles for good evaluation. The text reads, Good evaluation should: Be about what matters, fit the way you do your work, involve the people you support, be used by you, and be communication well.
April 1, 2025 at 12:39 PM
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We run workshops throughout the year to support you with your evaluation needs.

Find & book onto current workshops here ⬇️ evaluationsupportscotland.org.uk/what-we-do/s...

(& keep an eye out for new listings coming soon! 💡)
This graphic shows our current workshop information. The learning programme ‘Let’s Evaluate!’ is running in spring, summer and autumn of 2025. The workshop ‘Evaluating Policy Influence’ is running in autumn 2025, and winter 2026.
March 18, 2025 at 1:45 PM