Reporting back, monitoring and evaluation

Lastly, you need to consider what sort of reporting back, monitoring or evaluation you will use. Again this will be proportional to the size of the grant you have agreed, and will depend on what the grant is used for. You should agree this when you agree the grant, and you should be clear on how quickly you need this report back.

With a small grant for a piece of programme equipment you might want to see a copy of the receipt, and maybe a photo of it being used by some young people. For a larger grant that is going to take time to spend, maybe for improvements to a Group HQ, you might want a regular update on spend, and photos of progress at regular intervals.

Something to consider is whether you are looking for evidence of money being spent, and/or evidence of a positive impact being made.

It's important not to always rely on information coming to you. Be proactive as a funder, go and see the Groups you have supported, and understand the impact your support has made. It's really important to understand the impact you make, as that helps inform how you provide grants in the future. This also helps you share your experience with other Districts and Counties, and might inspire others to follow your example. Talk about and show the impact that has been made with the money you have been able to grant so that young people have the best possible experience they can.