Learning to Succeed
Investing in learning in order to improve services and increase policy influence
by Margaret Bolton and Terry de March

ACEVO launch a new report and learning tools, supported by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.

What we know as organisations – the experience and expertise of our staff, volunteers and those we work with – is one of our most valuable assets and can be harnessed to improve services, but also to inform policy platforms we develop as part of our approach to wider influencing. It is especially important to capitalise on this key asset during stringent times.

Organisations need to become adept at learning in order to evolve and ensure continued and demonstrable relevance. Learning, whether generated internally or externally, helps organisations make better decisions about what to do and how to do it. Better decision making should result in improved outcomes and an increased impact. In an environment of rapid and complex change and scarce public funding, three areas for improvement are critical: building capacity, demonstrating impact and developing partnerships. Learning is one of the central factors to meeting the capacity challenge.

The report, learning tools, study guide and a funder’s guide to the promotion of learning can all be found at:
https://www.acevo.org.uk/publications/learning-succeed