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Description
This project aims to contribute to the dissemination of Social Impact Assessment Methodologies in Social and Solidarity Economy Organisations, and Local Development Organisations in the Azores, enabling them with the necessary skills to assess and understand the social value created by their interventions in order to communicate their projects more effectively with funders, partners, among others.
Summary of project results
The project aimed to address the challenge of social and solidarity economy organizations producing significant social value daily, which is not typically measured due to complex evaluation methodologies, sector traditions, and the lack of funding sources. A national study concluded that each euro invested in IPSS (Private institution for social Solidarity) generated €2.46 in social benefits, highlighting the need to extend such studies nationally. The project sought to enable these organizations to evaluate and understand the social value created by their interventions and to communicate their projects to all stakeholders and a wider audience.
The project developed several activities. Firstly, an Organizational Diagnosis was conducted to assess the social impact evaluation needs of OÑGs. This included characterizing the organizational needs of CRESAÇOR, cooperators, and ARDE, deepening this characterization through participatory diagnosis, mapping practices for methodology implementation, and preparing a report and action plan. The methodology was validated considering the context, followed by in-depth interviews with the promoting entity, partners, and a representative sample of cooperators, questionnaires to all covered entities, focus group discussions on intermediate results, and presentation of results and action plan.
Capacity-building activities included 3 training sessions, 7 capacity-building workshops, and 77 mentoring sessions in Social Impact Assessment (AIS). These aimed to train a group of mentors and managers in AIS in the Azores, creating a specialist team and providing the region with autonomy in AIS. The workshops aimed to foster a culture of Impact Assessment among organizations not yet trained in the project and consolidate knowledge and skills among professionals and organizations in the training process.
Two public events were held. The first, to disseminate the project, was conducted online due to the pandemic. The second event, "Açores with Impact: Results and Contributions," was held on January 27, 2022, in a hybrid format at the LREC auditorium and via Zoom, presenting the project''s results and contributions to Social Impact Assessment in the Azores. This event had 71 participants, mostly from OESS, public entities, IPSS, and individuals.
The project''s external evaluation focused on processes and results, involving focus groups with key stakeholders and evaluating execution, satisfaction, and impact indicators. This process included systematic information collection via questionnaires to measure learning progress (short-term), incorporation of management and impact assessment procedures and tools in organizations (short and medium-term), and organizational culture change (medium and long-term).
In terms of results the project developed 3 training sessions (70 hours), 6 capacity-building workshops (31 hours), and 77 mentoring sessions. The project resulted in 6 additional NGOs implementing effective management procedures, increasing from 5 to 11 out of the initial 17. It involved more NGOs than expected, with a total of 21 participating. The project also trained more professionals, totaling 48, by adding 4 additional workshops based on suggestions from the external evaluator. Among these, 28 professionals participated in the training sessions, and 20 professionals attended at least 3 capacity-building workshops, including the core workshops (the 2nd and the 3rd extra workshops).
The project''s results can enhance the potential for disseminating AIS, given CRESAÇOR''s position in the sector. The 27 CRESAÇOR cooperators are responsible for 1400 jobs across 6 islands (Santa Maria, São Miguel, Terceira, São Jorge, Flores, and Corvo), giving an archipelagic expression to AIS implementation. In the medium and long term, CRESAÇOR can play a continuous role in expanding AIS methodologies, serving as a platform for fostering a community of professionals and institutions already trained and strengthened in this area through ongoing collaboration.