Tris Lumley, who heads up the NPC Tools Team, answers some of your questions:
- Do NPC Tools represent a shift in direction for NPC?
- Will NPC charge for the tools?
- Can individual charities ask NPC to help them gather evidence of their results?
- Can I ask NPC to develop a tool for my organisation?
- How are NPC Tools different from the work of other organisations?
- Will NPC Tools work with other organisations, as NPC did with acevo on full cost recovery?
- How big is the team working on NPC Tools?
- Are there any vacancies in the NPC Tools Team?
1. Do NPC Tools represent a shift in direction for NPC?
NPC's work has always relied on extracting information about the results of a charity's work, in order to advise funders how to give more effectively. It is a natural extension of NPC's work to help charities to capture, analyse and report information on their results more directly through practical tools. This is an area of work we are already active in; for example, we have developed tools to help charities measure the well-being of the children they work with.
2. Will NPC charge charities for the tools?
Tools will be provided without charge to charities for the exploration of their own work. There may be a charge for using NPC Tools in a commercial capacity to provide a service to other charities.
3. Can individual charities ask NPC to help them gather evidence of their results?
NPC cannot work directly for charities in a consultancy role. But we can advise on which tools might be most relevant. We may wish to explore the needs you have, particularly if they might lead to the development of tools that can be of benefit to other charities too.
4. Can I ask NPC to develop a tool for my organisation?
We welcome your suggestions of further tools that we should develop. Click here to contact us.
5. How are NPC Tools different from the work of other organisations?
NPC Tools aim to complement the work of many other organisations that provide support to charities. Our focus is limited specifically to providing tools that help charities to measure, analyse and report their results, particularly in the context of the information flows between charities and funders; we help funders use that information to make good funding decisions.
6. Will NPC Tools work with other organisations, as NPC did with acevo on full cost recovery?
NPC is committed to working in partnership with other organisations when this can help to reach more charities directly. We are happy to work with consultants, funders, membership bodies and other organisations if we can help charities by doing so.
7. How big is the team working on NPC Tools?
There are currently five people working full time in the NPC Tools Team; other NPC staff are involved in specific projects, depending on their focus areas.
8. Are there any vacancies in NPC Tools?
There are not currently any vacancies in the NPC Tools Team, but if you want to register your interest please contact jobs@npctools.org.uk with a CV and covering letter to place your details on file. You can also check back here for vacancies at a later date.
'Raising the finance for core costs and strategic investments can be very difficult. NPC was able to talk about us as a business, telling large donors how they could help us be where we want to be in five years.'
Jane Obeng, School-Home Support