Background
Devon Communities Together is a charity committed to supporting community development across Devon. Chris Hunt-Watts, as Digital Systems Lead, has been instrumental in guiding the charity’s digital transformation journey, focusing on integrating solutions like Microsoft Dynamics 365 and PowerBI to enhance operational effectiveness. As Chris explains, his role covers “anything related to systems” highlighting the charity’s commitment to digital innovation.
Challenge
Prior to adopting the Social Value Engine, Devon Communities Together struggled to effectively measure and demonstrate their social impact. The key challenge was using proxies poorly aligned to their diverse community initiatives. Chris notes, “Before adopting the Social Value Engine, our biggest difficulty was in finding proxies that aligned with our work.” Previously, they relied on the HACT Social Value system, primarily designed for housing-related projects, making it challenging to accurately measure and demonstrate their diverse community impacts.
Solution
Devon Communities Together chose the Social Value Engine primarily for its flexibility and ability to develop custom proxies collaboratively. “One of the biggest things was the fact that we’re able to have customised proxies and work together to have new proxies developed,” says Chris. Two significant custom proxies included short-term training sessions and project evaluation; key activities previously not adequately represented by standard proxies. According to Chris, this tailored approach ensured the proxies genuinely reflected “short-term training sessions lasting only a few hours,” accurately capturing the charity’s unique initiatives.
Benefits
The Social Value Engine significantly improved the charity’s capability to demonstrate social value. Chris describes the transformation clearly: “Compared to the previous spreadsheet-based system we were using, it’s night and day.” The integration, while manual, with Dynamics 365 has allowed Devon Communities Together to effectively combine social value data with organisational information, such as target audiences and locations, enhancing strategic insight and reporting accuracy. While acknowledging the continued challenge of capturing “absolutely everything,” Chris highlights substantial progress, stating: “The engine has definitely helped significantly,” particularly in evidencing their broad and varied project outcomes. The improved clarity has strengthened project bids, enhanced impact reports, and allowed for better-informed strategic decisions.
