Why is good evidence hard to come by?
In Caroline’s PhD research, she found that there was not nearly enough robust evidence available, while some donors felt overwhelmed by the amount of information provided and didn’t have the skills to evaluate its quality.
So why is good evidence so difficult to find?
1. Lack of good data
Many charities simply don’t have the evidence base to prove their impact. The format of information shared by charities is also often inconsistent, claims Matthew, with little indication of how the programme helped beneficiaries over time. This means that charities may be able to report on outcomes but find it difficult to prove longer-term impact.
2. Lack of skills and knowledge
To develop a strong evidence base, you need data scientists and economists – skills that charities don’t normally have in-house. Equally, funders often don’t have these backgrounds and so don’t know what to look or ask for.
3. Lack of funds
Most charities don’t have the funds to recruit for these skills. It’s also more difficult for charities to secure general funds that can enable them to step-back and assess what and how they are doing. Donors also tend to give restricted funds to deliver specific programmes. The result is that charities have little room to take on additional work beyond programme delivery. The pandemic has increased donor awareness on the importance of unrestricted donations, particularly during the initial emergency phase, something that we hope will continue.
4. Lack of infrastructure
As there is no centralised platform to share evidence on charitable programmes, its use and dissemination is severely hampered.