A new direction for infrastructure (NCVO Annual Conference 2012)
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Transcript of A new direction for infrastructure (NCVO Annual Conference 2012)
A new direction for infrastructure• Bill Freeman, Director of Services and Business
Development, NAVCA• Dr Rob Macmillan, Research Fellow, Third Sector Research
Centre (TSRC)• Sakthi Suriyaprakasam, Consultant, NCVO Value of
Infrastructure Programme
Ho
sted
by:
Fu
nd
ed b
y:
Third sector infrastructurean unsettled state and an uncertain future
Dr. Rob MacmillanThird Sector Research Centre
University of Birmingham
NCVO Annual Conference‘Moving Forward: Solutions and Inspiration’
London, 5th March 2012
In brief…
• Context… the voluntary and community sector is experiencing a great ‘unsettlement’, and particularly its infrastructure
• Research… on infrastructure and ‘capacity building’ tends to address three main questions:o Purpose (not much research here)o Organisation (lots here)o Value (not so much here)
• Looking ahead and an emerging research agenda… focusing on a changing landscape of and for infrastructure, such as making a market, reconfiguration and hollowing out
Context: the great ‘unsettlement’
‘Shake-out’? - organisations and projects downsizing or coming to an end
‘Shake-up’? - enterprise- reconfiguration- demonstrating value
‘Room’ – is there enough for everyone?
The state and the VCS - a partial decoupling?
Researching infrastructureThree basic questions addressed in research on infrastructure and capacity building:
1. Purpose/Theory: What is infrastructure; what is it for?• Leat, D. (2011) New tools for a new world (or why we need
to rethink capacity building)
2. Operation/Organisation: What does it do; how is it organised?• Harker, A. and Burkeman, S. (2007) Building Blocks• Shared Intelligence (2010) Learning from mergers
3. Value/Impact: What difference does it make?• Halton and St Helens VCA (2011) Inside the black box –
Discovering what really works
1. What is infrastructure for?
Key questions
• What do we mean by infrastructure and capacity building? • What is it for?• What is its rationale or ‘theory of change’? • What role does it play? • Why does it exist?• Who wants or needs it and what for?
(e.g. support needs of frontline organisations; funders and public bodies)
• Who uses it and what for?
2. How is infrastructure organised?
Key questions• What does it do? (support, linkage, and voice) • How is it provided? (interventions, mechanisms and practices)• Who does it? (organisations, consortia, networks and
federations, consultants, peers)
• How is it organised? o Function - generalist and specialisto Constituency – whole sector or specific fieldo Scale – national, regional, localo Sector – third sector, public sector, private sector
• How do infrastructure organisations relate to each other? (duplication, competition, collaboration, merger)
• How is it financed? (grants, contracts, fees and charges)• How is it governed? (stakeholders and their influence - funders,
public bodies, partners, members and users)
3. What difference does it make?
Key questions - the ‘so what’ question…
• What does infrastructure seek to achieve and what does it achieve?
• How can or should infrastructure be evaluated? • By what criteria should infrastructure be judged?
— organisational effectiveness and influence— value for money and distance travelled— accreditation systems and quality marks— benchmarking and public rating systems
• How can its value be articulated and demonstrated?
A changing landscape of and for infrastructure
• De-coupling - withdrawal of central state support for national and local infrastructure?
• ‘Demand-led’ approaches - making markets in infrastructure?
• Changing demands and challenges facing frontline organisations
• Reconfiguration and a changing geography - transforming local infrastructure
• Changing delivery mechanisms: — on-line support; peer to peer learning; community organising;
incubation and shelter
• Hollowing out of infrastructure organisations?
An emerging research agenda
Key questions seem to be about:
1. How can we understand this emerging landscape of and for infrastructure?
2. How are markets being made in infrastructure?
3. How are infrastructure organisations and relationships being reconfigured?
4. What do frontline organisations (and their funders) need, want and expect from infrastructure?
5. Which direction does infrastructure face: to public bodies or to its members and users?
For discussion…
Why should infrastructure organisations decide what kinds of support are provided – why not let frontline organisations decide?
VIP AimsVIP supports you to
Assess impact Improve impact Communicate
impact Working and
learning together Talking to funders
Engagement with VIP
• 99 members of the VIP Ideas group • 89 attended development workshops through
2009-10• 100 organisations piloted tools (55 IOs and 42 frontline)
Principles
Growing impact is even more important than showing it Contribution not attribution Evidence not proof This is a leadership issue, not a measurement issue Impact assessment works best when it fits quietly into day-to-
day working practices rather than being a burdensome extra
Infrastructure
Connect
Develop
Influence
Networking
Collaboration
Brokering
Representation
Promote
Direct Support
Consultation
Information Advice
Guidance
Facilitating Learning
Infrastructure Functions
This functions map has been developed by National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) for the Value of Infrastructure Programme. It is based on PERFORM: the Outcomes Framework for Infrastructure. Also influenced by the ‘Engage, Develop, Influence’ Model of Infrastructure Function as developed by Growing up in the West Midlands (G:Up)
InfrastructureImpacts
capable people
dynamic sector
strong organisations
supportive externalagencies
From functions to impact
Connect
Develop
Influence
strong organisations
supportive externalagencies
dynamic sector
Infrastructure
External AgencyCase Study
Template
External Agency
Dial
External Agency
Interview
SectorCase Study
Template
SectorDial
Action and Review Grid
Survey of Sector Organisations
People Questions
Internal Organisation
Survey
Organisation Case Study
Template
Organisation Dial
VIP Tools11 Tools to mix and match
Dials give pictures of
Change
External Agency
Interview
SectorCase Study
Template
Case studies give stories
Questions give stats
Update
• 115 Infrastructure organisations trained by end of Feb 2012
• TLI partnerships trained on VIP• Sustainability of training and online system• Impact of Infrastructure 2012 Conference 25th
April
Response to VIP
VIP interim evaluation October 2011Training:•Overall very positive response to the framework and tools•98% understood the framework and tools•64% were keen to use the VIP tools•76% felt VIP Online would help them capture their impact
Response to VIP cont.
Use of framework and tools•For those in the early stages understanding their impact was key•95% said the tools were either ‘excellent’ or ‘mostly good and useful’•76% had used one or more tools– 44% the Organisation Dial•Other dials, survey questions and case studies also used
Journey of change1. Muddling through.Not clear about impact, open to learning.
2. Clarity of purpose. Can articulate impact but not measure this except ad hoc.
3. Focus and measuring. Work to outcomes & collect data
4. Interpreting and learning Analyse data, interpret and draw out learning
5. Changing and communicating. Put learning into practice. Can demonstrate effectiveness
How VIP moves agencies up the JOC
• The training helps people move from 1-2 by clarifying their impact
• The tools support the shift from 2-3 by enabling measurement of impact
• VIP Online is important to moving from 3-4 by providing data
• It is less clear yet how VIP supports agencies to move from 4-5
But • starting point and willingness/being ready to change
key• The external environment
Opportunities• Shared language and agreement about purpose• Collaboration with a positive focus –
– joint approach to tackling common issues, e.g. external agency
– Data sharing/referrals– Setting baselines at a local level and working together on
shared targets– Using the system and generating information on future
priorities• Data on impact of infrastructure sector as a whole• Communicate to and engage with our stakeholders
about the value of infrastructure
Challenges
• Timescale for evidence to emerge• Embedding new systems and ongoing learning• Implementing improvement in the context of
change
06/03/2012 28NAVCA
Bill Freeman
‘A new direction for infrastructure’ workshopNCVO Annual Conference - 5 March 2012
Challenges and changesfor VCS infrastructure
06/03/2012 29NAVCA06/03/2012 29NAVCA
Areas I will cover...
• The NAVCA network and our work on impact.
• External drivers affecting VCS infrastructure.
• Internal challenges affecting VCS infrastructure.
• Promising solutions.
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The NAVCA Network
• Around 400 member organisations covering most local authority areas in England, including:– Providers of a comprehensive range of support and services which
embrace all types of organisations in the sector.– Organisations specialising in providing certain types of activity and/or
serving particular client groups.
• All full members required to be charities and membership associations themselves.
• Largely state-funded (c.80%) with other income from fees (membership and charged-for services).
06/03/2012 31NAVCA
The NAVCA Quality Award
• Around 100 members hold NAVCA’s Quality Award and a further 40 are working towards it.
• It enables them to demonstrate effectiveness in achieving better outcomes for their local groups across five standards which relate to their core functions.
• It involves self-assessment and audit which includes the testimony of critical external stakeholders.
• Organisations of all size and shape are able to achieve the Award and renew it every three years.
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Understanding infrastructure organisations
Political legitimacy
Bestowed legitimacy
Technical legitimacy
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External drivers affecting VCS infrastructure
• State funding for infrastructure thought to be in decline.• State initiatives to bring about supply-side reform, e.g.
Transforming Local Infrastructure Fund.• Quality, innovation and efficiency will be driven by…
– Collaboration, reorganisation and integration.– Competition and choice.
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External drivers affecting VCS infrastructure
• Drive for services to be “digital by default”.• Greater emphasis on role of the private sector in and VCS
support providers being more businesslike.• More demand-led approach to capacity building and wider
‘marketisation’.• The pace of change in the policy and funding environment,
requires infrastructure organisations to respond faster, whilst not being immune from pressures themselves.
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Transforming Local Infrastructure
• £30million competitive fund from OCS.• One bid was allowed per upper-tier local authority; 72 awards
made (about half of total).• Projects encouraged to focus on:
– collaboration and consolidation; – redesign and integration of services;– Better links with local businesses;– peer-to peer support; and– stronger partnerships with local statutory bodies.
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Transforming Local Infrastructure
• Aim was for sustainability in the long-term without ongoing support from central Government.
• NAVCA is helping successful and unsuccessful areas to share good practice, exchange information and find the best way forward.
• Big Lottery Fund is planning a distinct and additional investment in funding support services for voluntary organisations of at least £20 million.
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Demand-led capacity building
• National dialogue and emerging practice:– Real Help for Communities Modernisation Fund (2009).– OCS supporting civil society consultation (2010).– BIG “Building capabilities for impact and legacy” (2011).– Worcestershire County Council (2011).
• In demand-led schemes organisations needing or seeking support are given money or a voucher to purchase it directly.
• Main benefits:– Greater choice, control and tailoring for recipient organisations.– Broader range of suppliers drives quality, innovation and efficiency.
06/03/2012 38NAVCA06/03/2012 38NAVCA
Demand-led capacity building
• Public and charitable funds, so safeguards need to be in place:– Diagnostic review to identify needs.– Quality assured list of providers.
• Can it work? Yes, but...– It needs to be built around VCS infrastructure which already has the
reach, profile and trust in place to make it work.– It needs everyone to work differently, not just suppliers.– There have to be some standards and adherence to good practice.
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Demand-led capacity building
• Concerns about the approach:– Where’s the evidence base of its effectiveness? – BIG Assist
programme will help us answer this question.– Makes tackling sector-wide issues harder.– Decouples connection and benefits derived from funding
organisations to do both representation and capacity building.– Impact on health of local voluntary sector if the system favours private
sector providers – such as no reinvestment or leverage of additional funds; scepticism from recent cases (Hounslow).
– Can it work for supporting new and emerging groups?
06/03/2012 40NAVCA06/03/2012 40NAVCA
Internal challenges affecting VCS infrastructure
• Leading in difficult times.• Strain on funding model requires rethinking or refining
business model for many organisations.• Some of our language and labels might need redefinition.• Previously reliable tools not suited to the new environment.
06/03/2012 41NAVCA06/03/2012 41NAVCA
Leading in difficult times
• The most frequent areas of challenge identified in NAVCA’s 2011 Chief Executives survey were:– financial climate and funding;– workload and capacity issues;– uncertainty and responding to change; and– managing relationships and dealing with conflict.
06/03/2012 42NAVCA06/03/2012 42NAVCA
Leading in difficult times
• Other challenges that featured in multiple responses were:– morale and motivation; – political and policy environment; – difficulties with trustees;– engagement (or, more accurately, disengagement); – increased competition; and– managing expectations.
06/03/2012 43NAVCA
New areas of focus for income generation
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Reducing operating costsBidding consortia
Building/premisesFees for consultancy
Non-infrastructure contractsLocal businesses
More member-only benefitsSelling to each other
Trading company Philanthropists/individual donors
Commissions
Doing it already
Not doing it,but plan to
Not doing it anddon’t plan to
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Promising solutions
• We need tools and approaches which work in real-time to help us be more agile and adaptive in a dynamic environment.– More strategy, not so much strategic planning.– Stronger emphasis on marketing and branding.
• Choosing business models which are about resilience, rather than sustainability.– ‘Networked non-profit’ principles (Wei-Skillern and Marciano, 2008).– Virtual CVS?– Fiscal sponsorship - a way to make it OK to do frontline services?
06/03/2012 45NAVCA
Promising solutions
• Keeping conversation with the State about the priority of funding those infrastructure activities which cannot be marketised.
• Only doing things which are known to be impactful.• Ensuring ‘demand-led ’ capacity building about evolution, not
revolution.
06/03/2012 46NAVCA
For discussion…
• When it comes to thinking about the future providers of infrastructure support and services, do we need evolution or revolution?
06/03/2012 47NAVCA06/03/2012 47NAVCA
About NAVCA• We are the national membership body for local support
and development organisations.• We strengthen and champion the work of our members in
representing, supporting and developing voluntary and community action.
• Our support and services include:– policy information, insight and ideas;– advice and guidance;– hands-on support and facilitation;– training and networking opportunities.
• Email: [email protected].
For discussion…
Why should infrastructure organisations decide what kinds of support are provided – why not let frontline organisations decide?
We need to completely re-think what impact we are measuring and how we communicate this in the light of decreasing public funding and a move towards a market-led economy
When it comes to thinking about the future providers of infrastructure support and services, do we need evolution or revolution?