Evaluate Evaluation is an important element of your inclusion initiative and should not be overlooked. Although evaluation can’t be completed until after your initiative is implemented, it is important to include an evaluation plan as part of your initiative design – at the start, or very early in your planning - rather than only considering it after the initiative has commenced. (Visit the Create an initiative page for more information about that stage of initiative planning.) One way to evaluate your initiative is to create evidence related to ‘outputs’ and ‘outcomes’. Creating and analysing this evidence will help you to understand the impact of your initiative, and will provide evidence to help to decide if your initiative needs re-design or if it can be scaled up.

What are outputs and outcomes?

An output is what is delivered, and is likely to be something that you can count. Leaving aside difficulties in collecting data, outputs are likely to be readily measurable. For example, an output could be the number of classes delivered or a physical change to a venue.

Outcomes can be harder to measure. They relate to the effect of the output. This could be a new thing a person can do due to the output. For example, a person might have a new skill after attending a class, or they might be more socially connected after joining a new walking group. Outcomes might be immediate, or they may need to be measured over time. The aquatics and recreation sector in Victoria has been urged to more often measure outcomes, and rely less on outputs, as outcomes better describe the benefits occurring for community groups from participation in aquatics and recreation activities (see VAGO Local Government Recreation Facilities).

We’ve created a table of example outputs and outcomes to give you some ideas.

Collecting evaluation data

Data collection can be done in many ways, and can include numbers, text and visual data. You might use:

• hardcopy surveys;
• online surveys;
• hardcopy feedback forms;
• online feedback platforms;
• anecdotal feedback (e.g. interview notes, testimonials and quotes);
• photographs;
• video footage; and/or
• your own notes.

Privacy is very important, and before you use any output or outcome data that can identify a person, you must have that person’s permission BEFORE using anything that could identify them. (There are many legal requirements relating to privacy and personal information: we recommend you consult your organisation about this before finalising your plans.)

Obtaining output data will often be quite straightforward. Some examples of the types of data you might collect are shown in a table at the bottom of this page.

It can be more difficult to identify outcomes, and in some cases you will need to rely on participant feedback, or when circumstances prevent direct feedback from a participant, feedback from a family member or carer of the participant. A table at the bottom of this page shows some examples of the data you might collect.

Consider working with external partners

While most of your data collection is likely to be internal, you can also consider working with external partners to create and collate data relating to your inclusion initiative. Potential partners include universities and advocacy groups.

Share your findings

The next part of this guide suggests ways in which you can share your findings and celebrate the success of your initiative.

Examples of outputs and outcomes

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Examples of output data 

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Examples of outcome data

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Celebrate