Cross-government task force supported homeless charity with their client survey


(L) Some of the task force photographed during a meeting. (C & R) HMRC & Home Office volunteers helped the homelessness charity carry out 120 telephone & face to face interviews with their client group

Project overview

Cardinal Hume Centre, a homelessness charity, did not have budget, HR or skill capacity to implement effective client survey to measure impact and ensure their clients’ voices are heard. It was also not possible for Time & Talents to identify a single team of employee volunteers with both the requisite skill combination and the extended time availability required to support such a project. As a solution, solo volunteers were drawn from across a number of Time & Talents partner employers to form a Task Force. Working with Cardinal Hume Centre staff via rota participation Task Force volunteers designed the survey, helped market it, carry it out, analyse the data and produce the outcome report.

Learning partnership & Co-creation:

Volunteers from HM Revenue & Customs, Home Office and Department of Health each contributed specialist expertise and led on different work streams within the project. The task force format and regular meetings with the charity ensured they were working as a coherent group and learning from each other. The collaboration resulted in new ways of thinking and working for the charity in respect of survey implementation as well as use of new technology. Volunteers were able to apply their skills in a new and different context, gaining valuable insight into civil society not available to them in their day-to-day jobs.

Survey day: Listening to the Clients

Volunteers supported the charity in interviewing 120 people, gathering in-depth data using phone, face to face and online interviews. This gave volunteers the chance to see how their survey performed in real life scenarios and gain new first-hand knowledge about experiences within the community. Significant knowledge and insight in relation to their roles within government departments.

Analysis and report writing

In collaboration with the charity, the volunteers analysed client survey data and prepared the findings into report format. For Cardinal Hume Centre the survey produced evidenced insight into the changing needs of their diverse client group, helping to identify areas where service delivery is absent or in need of improvement. At the same time it also evidenced their successes, vital in reporting impact to current and potential funders. As the project spanned two months the volunteers got the rare satisfaction of being a part of making the whole process come together for the charity, including the outcome - in the form of a report

Time & Talents input: As well as introducing volunteers to each other and to the charity, Time & Talents facilitated meetings, it helped ensure that volunteers' time and knowledge were maximised and that any work was manageable for all sides. Time & Talents also created an online space which fostered efficient communication between the volunteers, the charity and the broker - all working from different locations.

Highlight: Homelessness charity working with highly skilled experts to transform our survey
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Skills Enhanced / Capacity building:

Awareness of complex data collection

Working with volunteer teams in a new way, utilising analytical skills

Marketing of the survey

Increased capacity to be able to interview in depth / reach out to more clients

Full analysis of data using multiple disadvantage indicators

Finished report supplied by volunteers

Report to be used to refocus charity services based on identified needs

Highlight: HMRC & Home Office volunteers gaining practical experience of taking a survey from start to finish
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Skills Enhanced:

Applying learning to real life scenario