Suchergebnisse

This article aims to explore the nature of do-it-yourself (DIY) impact measurement tools used in the voluntary sector, using a contextual inquiry approach. This is an understudied area of research, knowledge that would be considerably valuable for practitioners in the sector who wish
to create their own DIY impact measurement tool. Semi-structured interviews and observation sessions are used to explore an example of a DIY impact measurement tool, the processes of its creation and operation, and how it has been shaped, from the perspective of a UK environmental charity.
The study identifies how and why the tool was created as well as which resources are being used to build it. Findings show that the functionality and requirements of the DIY impact measurement tool are mostly shaped by the charity's social, cultural and organisational characteristics.

This paper reports on the findings of a research project delivered in collaboration with the UK environmental charity, The Conservation Volunteers (TCV), which evaluated the applicability and effectiveness of user-centred design (UCD) methods to assist voluntary organisations designing impact measurement tools. The findings indicate that there is scope for these methods to be applied more broadly within the voluntary sector, in particular by organisations wanting to critically examine their existing impact measurement practices, or by those seeking to develop and implement approaches to monitoring and evaluation that are more user-centred.

This article aims to explore the use of the user-centered design (UCD) method, mental model approach, of those who engage in environmental volunteering to work toward the development of a health-related impact measurement tool. It reports a case study which explores the use of one UCD method, a mental model approach. This is an understudied area of research that would be considerably valuable for practitioners in the voluntary sector who wish to create their own health-related impact measurement tool. Focus group interviews are used to explore how volunteers perceive the term health, their conceptual understandings, terminology used, and the attributes to measure it. This study is reported from the perspective of U.K. environmental charity, The Conservation Volunteers (TCV). Findings from this article can be used by other voluntary organizations and charities to help shape their own health-related impact measurement tool and the ways in which these tools can be tailored to suit their individual needs.

This article examines whether there is an association between engaging in environmental volunteering activities and pro-environmental behavioural change. Utilising self-reported surveys, the article explores the potential impact that environmental volunteering has on people's pro-environmental behaviours over time, using The Conservation Volunteers' two volunteering programmes – Green Gyms® and Action Teams – as a comparative case study. The findings show a positive association between environmental volunteering activities and a person's self-reported pro-environmental behaviours over time. Further, volunteers presented improved impact across almost all of the eight pro-environmental behaviours measured, with differences observed between the two volunteering programmes as well as sociodemographic groupings.

The need for the world to follow a more carbon-neutral path is clear, with growing evidence highlighting the existential threat posed by unregulated GHG emissions. Responsibility for achieving this does not only lie with policy makers but is shared with all stakeholders including governments, private sectors, charities and civil society as a whole. Several methodological approaches have been developed to set emission reduction targets, including the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). However, it is yet to be widely adopted, and as thought leaders in the field, universities must take a lead in its interpretation and application. This study is reported from the perspective of a UK university, which is adopting climate change considerations to facilitate achieving Czero by 2030 and will act as an exemplar case. We calculate baseline emissions, science-based reduction targets for different carbon emission reduction methods and options in terms of financing emission reduction pathways at present and in the future. The study outcomes show that incorporating a SBTi methodology can serve as insight into other medium-sized organisations and universities wishing to develop a net-zero pathway. These results have been summarised into a series of recommendations.