Pro Bono OR projects can now be found here: https://www.theorsociety.com/get-involved/pro-bono-or/open-pro-bono-projects/ This blog will no longer be updated but will remain available as an archive ..read more

   Project summary Improve the measurement of impact for the range of activities and outcomes facilitated and supported by Coping with Cancer (North East), which serves NE England and Cumbria. Project description Beginning with a review of the client organisation’s strategic plan and mission, vision and value statements, determine the range of desired outputs and outcomes for Coping with Cancer (NE) and, from the latter, distil a range of qualitative and/or quantitative measures for assessing impact for the range of services provided across the communities being served, for bot ..read more

   Project summary CHIRP wants to improve its analysis to better understand and communicate maritime risks more clearly.  Project description CHIRP has a database of incident reports going back to 2002, but the reporting system was improved last year. So far just over 100 reports are available in the new format. The results from these systems are used by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency to communicate the major human contributory factors that result in maritime accidents, incidents and errors.   These are communicated in terms of the ‘deadly dozen’ factors. Th ..read more

Project summary Saola Foundation is relatively new and needs to identify opportunities to improve its work processes to ensure resources are used effectively.   Project description Saola Foundation is a relatively young organization, having been formed in 2020. A strategic development theme for 2023 is “efficiency and wellbeing in the work place”, recognising that, with a small staff team, it is important to ensure best use is made of staff time and to protect against staff burn out. The CEO believes now is a good time to identify and review Saola’s key business processes and to a ..read more

Project summary To analyse North Bristol Advice Centre’s client journeys for opportunities to improve operations efficiency, focusing on time wasted on unanswered calls.  Project description NBAC aim to combat poverty and promote social justice by providing free and independent advice and support in North Bristol and South Gloucestershire. In the last year, they have seen a sharp 20% increase in the volume of enquiries and the amount of debt seen has tripled. NBAC’s services are needed now more than ever. The aim of this project is to translate client journey and call log data, with a ..read more

Project summary Critically review a large database and how its data is used, to advise on whether the system, the data aggregation and outputs are doing what is intended, and suggest improvements.  Project description The Charity Excellence Framework is a free resource for charities, with around 36,000 charities currently signed up as users. It enables charities to assess themselves on a set of criteria relating to key dimensions of their operations (eg fundraising, governance, communications) in order to help prioritise action for improvement; and it provides links to thousan ..read more

   Project summary Enabling Contact to make the most of their data to influence and improve services, campaigning, and fundraising. Project description Contact supports parents and families who care for a disabled child with a variety of services and through work directly with policy-makers. They hold a considerable amount of demographic data on service users (in particular: parent ethnicity; child age; and child disability/condition), which is not currently fully analysed.  The volunteer(s) would be asked to work with the charity to: - Prioritise the questions to be addres ..read more

  Project summary Designing a discrete event simulation model to enable a helpline to provide good service levels across all channels.  Project description The NSPCC works to end child abuse and enable children to be safe and supported. Its helpline, for adults and professionals with concerns about a child, handles live calls, call-backs, emails and direct messages; but the system that manages the helpline is not sophisticated enough to support planning for this variety of channels. The NSPCC would like a discrete event simulation model of the helpline’s processes, to enable them ..read more

Project summary To enable the charity, the Harvey Hext Trust - A Siblings Wish, to collect data that will help them in successful grant applications and in targeting areas for support.  Project description Work with the client in designing a database that will satisfy all desired outcomes. Hand over database together with any training/supporting documentation that is required. After one month’s trial, liaise with client, examine how database has performed so far, make any amendments necessary and demonstrate to client how to obtain any desired outputs. The technical requirements are simp ..read more

Project summary The volunteer will work with Facial Palsy UK to help them develop a strategic framework and set out its priorities.   Project description Facial palsy is a condition resulting from damage or absence or impairment of the facial nerve that supplies the muscles of facial function and expression. It affects blinking, closing the eye for sleep, eating and drinking, speech, smiling and frowning.  Facial Palsy UK was set up in 2012, to offer support to the 100,000 people affected by facial palsy due to any cause. Its aims are: To increase awareness of facial palsy an ..read more