You are not alone

Then again, maybe you are

My name must be on countless data bases, sold on from company to company as part of the business data market, bringing me from time to time all sorts of strange offers. I suppose that everybody is in the same boat.

I received one this morning, however, that really caught my eye, an invitation to a one-day workshop.

'Demonstrating Outcomes' on September 8th, October 15th or October 29th at the Resource Centre, London
　
How do you measure growth in self-esteem, put a value on independence or calibrate hope?

If you work in fields such as social care, housing, health and disability, children and young people, employment, faith-based projects or international development – you will be changing lives in ways which few funders or policy makers fully appreciate.

'Demonstrating Outcomes' is an intensive, one-day workshop designed to help you demonstrate the real worth of the services which you provide and your impact on the quality of life of your beneficiaries. The training focuses primarily on how to measure 'soft outcomes' – those changes in individual capacity and quality of life, to which a crude, quantitative 'numbers count' will never do justice.

Crikey! On the face of it, this could have been written with Conductive Education service-providers specifically in mind. The invitation continues with what this day might provide. The product seems tailor-made for the sector!

[It] helps you apply a range of participatory evaluation tools which can show just how far your clients, volunteers and beneficiaries have come since being involved with your project. It will provide:

• understanding of how to measure outcomestools to measure 'softer' qualitative outcomes


• opportunity to test these tools


• pointers on how to use evaluation to maximise your fundraising.

Crikey again! Do these people know something that the ‘researchers’ might have missed (why not, they miss plenty else)?

Or is it just bullshit (and if so, do you have a problem with this if it is applied to a good cause, and it works)?

These training events take place in Central London and the fee is £185.00. per person.

It might be worth a pop, though most Conductive Education organisations in the United Kingdom may feel themselves unable to afford the time or the money for this (and anyway, they are all so well up to speed on this one, aren’t they?). Here would be a wonderful opportunity for a bit of inter-agency solidarity and collaboration.

Once centre could send someone, then take the trouble to share whatever might seem of worth with everyone else.

A bit hard on the company selling the course? Well, that’s show business, folks.

Not that the company needs worry. Such collaboration in Conductive Education in the United Kingdom would be unprecedented (as ever, do please correct me if I am wrong).

Further information

Action Planning Strategy and Fundraising Consultants
http://www.actionplanning.co.uk/outcomes.pdf