Collating Evidence for Different Audiences

We have many different types of data to analyse, we are likely to need to utilise analysis findings for an array of diverse purposes. We have many objectives we are measuring, and these sit under the various Balanced Scorecard perspectives. We expect this data to give feedback, information and updates to your key stakeholders, in the form of, members, peer organisation team members including group facilitators, funders, the NDIA and their ILC team, as well as our broader disability sector and community. In some cases, the same information will be relevant to many different stakeholders. However, the way we collate, analyse and then present that information is likely to need to be different depending upon your audience.

Historically, many peer programs collected and reported data for a simple reason: the funder required it and it formed part of the grant requirements. You are now equipped with a greater understanding about the potential benefits of having this ‘compass’ to guide your journey (as shown above). This means you may now be undertaking your evidence collection for a range of different reasons. You might be conducting an evaluation or monitoring data to keep the community informed, or to contribute to the evidence about peer programs nationally. You may want to share group member experiences with other groups, and vice versa. You may want to benchmark with other peer programs. You may aspire to comprehend what is working well and what needs improvement. Holistically, you may also want to know, how you are progressing toward your vision. How you report your data will depend on why you are collecting it in the first place.

In our next and final section of the Training Package, we will discuss, in additional detail, the various audiences for which you can collate and report evidence.