Blog
Curious to learn more about evaluation and what it can do for you? Counting What Counts regularly publishes blogposts on topics we know you’ll find interesting and useful. Scroll through some of our past articles below.
Using the Toolkit at Outdoor and Unticketed Events
This month, we explored the theme ‘Using the Toolkit at Outdoor and Unticketed Events’ in our thematic webinar series. Festivals and outdoor arts events can have a wide range of positive impact, including: Strengthening community relationships and other partnerships...
Extend your Peer Survey to Achieve Additional Insight
You might recall that at the time of registering to use the Impact & Insight Toolkit, there was the option to join the Strategic Development Strand (SDS), an opportunity for Arts Council funded organisations to work with us to develop key aspects of the Impact...
Metrics for Equality, Access and Inclusion
Ju Gosling, Creative Director of Together! 2012 CIC writes about their organisation's work on developing metrics for measuring equality, access and inclusion. As an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation, Together! 2012 CIC uses the Culture Counts Impact...
Overview of Audience Finder and Impact & Insight Toolkit integration trial
Between September 2019 and March 2020 The Audience Agency and Counting What Counts will run a trial with a small number of NPOs to test the integration of the Audience Finder and Impact & Insight Toolkit systems. We have identified suitable NPOs to take part in...
Using Metrics to Evaluate Participatory Work
When you’re building evaluations through the Culture Counts platform, you’ll notice that there is a variety of standardised metrics to choose from, beyond those that are included within any template you have been provided. For projects that include elements of...
Adding Value to Your Peer Surveys
If you’ve read our Strategic Development Strand report, you'll know that we have big plans for developing peer review within the Impact & Insight Toolkit. The Peer Matching Resource going live is just the beginning! We will be collaborating with...
The Impact & Insight Toolkit Peer Matching Resource is now live
Peer review is a vital element of the Impact & Insight Toolkit, enabling organisations to understand how their work is perceived within their artform or specialist field (for more details see our updated peer review guidance). To help support the...
Embracing Peer Review in the Arts and Cultural Sector
What is peer reviewing? Peer reviewing is an important element of an evaluation process; it involves gathering feedback on the work you are producing from peers in your sector. A peer can be anyone who has relevant knowledge in a certain field of work. Peer reviewers...
Using Self-Assessment in your Impact & Insight Toolkit Evaluations
We have now launched the Impact & Insight Toolkit, available to all Arts Council England’s National Portfolio Organisations and Sector Support Organisations. Our next step will be working closely with creative practitioners across the sector to help everyone...
Helping you connect with peers – Coming Soon
NPOs who attended the Impact and Insight Toolkit induction sessions will know that many of you were interested in our plans to help you identify and select peers using a new feature in the Culture Counts platform that we’re going to launch in the coming weeks. The...
Rolling out the Impact & Insight Toolkit
At Counting What Counts we’ve been busy preparing for the launch of the Impact & Insight Toolkit and are excited to begin our partnership with the 347 ACE funded organisations that have registered for the Toolkit, including 71 Band 1 organisations. Since the start...
Lakeland Arts: The Radev Collection, The Nuisance of Landscape & Emilie Taylor
‘One event is interesting, after two or three you start to see a trend’ – Jeanette Edgar, Lakeland Arts
Understanding the value of your work
Our Impact & Insight Toolkit will help organisations understand how well their intentions for their work aligns with the experiences of their peers and the public. John Knell, from Counting What Counts, reflects on why the Toolkit is so important and what it means...
Introducing: The Digital Culture Network
Thank you to the Arts Council for the blog post below. We're creating a new resource for the sector to help organisations get the right advice on digital technology - The Digital Culture Network. Brighton Digital Festival 2017: Casting Out the Self by Dominic...
How libraries are leading the way with diversity
Thank you to the Arts Council for the blog post below. Sue Williamson, our Director, Libraries and Birmingham, looks at how the libraries we have welcomed into our National Portfolio are championing diversity, while re-defining what a library is, and what it can be....