Evaluation is a critical part of a heritage project, but it’s not something to be considered at the end of a project; it should be thought through at the outset, and delivered throughout. Evaluation is an important requirement for many funders, but it is incredibly useful for your own organisation too. The findings can be used to promote your work and secure new visitors, customers, funders or partners, and it can be used to improve your organisation and activities going forward, including future projects. Issuing an Evaluation Report to others working on similar initiatives is also a great way to share vital lessons learned.

Evaluation should be appropriate and proportionate to the project in question, including its size, scope and audiences, to ensure you capture the most useful information. Not all projects require appointing a professional either – you can do Evaluation yourself.

This 45-minute session will include:

-Purpose and Objectives of Evaluating Heritage Projects
-Using the evaluation ‘Logic Model’ as a template for evaluation (as recommended by the National Lottery Heritage Fund)
-Making Evaluation appropriate and proportionate
-Top Tips: Establishing a Baseline and capturing data
-Producing an Evaluation Report
-Further Reading, Links and Resources