18 October 2021

In our last blog post, we discussed why we were embarking on the discovery to understand “how can Sport Wales increase the reach and impact of their community investments (grants)?”

Fast forward to the end of the discovery phase and we would like to share what we’ve learned so far.

Our methodology for discovery

During discovery, we identified and researched 3 main user groups:

  • current users that have successfully applied for funding
  • current users that were unsuccessful when applying for funding
  • potential users that haven't applied for funding who could be eligible

Over 8 weeks, we conducted:

  • quantitative research and received 228 survey responses (including 5 responses in Welsh), from successful and unsuccessful Sport Wales community investment applicants
  • qualitative research and we spoke to 59 current and potential users of Sport Wales grants, as well as 18 interviews with community partners and local authorities

The team also looked at the internal needs of Sport Wales, such as:

  • the current application process, including the eligibility criteria and application form to see where it could be simplified while still meeting all compliance and regulatory requirements
  • the current digital reach of Sport Wales to community groups
  • the current insight and evaluation process for the community grants

What did we find out in discovery?

Fortunately, people were very forthcoming and shared a lot of their experiences with us. Here are some things they told us:

  • they would like more support upfront when making their application (including human contact)
  • they wanted clearer information available prior to starting an application
  • the application form to be shorter and simpler
  • they would like a wider type of support which is not just funding
  • they would like feedback on their application to be more detailed and specific, so they can understand and improve their application in the future
  • some users don't have the necessary documentation in place for their club (i.e., safeguarding policies), and don’t know how to get them; this is a barrier for them applying
  • generally, successful users have a positive experience with learning logs - how the clubs share the impact of the grants with Sport Wales - but they would like different options to share learning other than in the current written format

We have seen limitations on the current reach and understanding of community grants and we should expand our digital reach, especially to engage with those who would most benefit from receiving grant funding in line with our organisational priorities.

The team also tested the users’ emerging ‘pain-points’ with other Sport Wales colleagues and concluded that there is room for improvement on the end-to-end process, which would cater to the needs of the users, as well as the requirements of Sport Wales to distribute public funds appropriately.

We also explored any potential technical issues that are contributing to users' frustration. Overall, the main issues of the current grants system are internal – relating to the system's inability to display pertinent grant data in "real time" to support the decision-making process and a number of manual processes which ideally should be automated.

What did we learn from speaking with other organisations?

As part of discovery, we also gathered insights from other organisations who provide grants. We spoke with 6 public sector organisations and 7 third sector bodies and can summarise what we’ve learned in 4 Cs.

Communication:

  • changing the tone and feel of all communication to show that organisations are ‘passionate about investing in communities’ and are seen as supportive, open and approachable
  • shifting from language such as ‘criteria and being eligible’ to ‘come and talk to us – we are interested in what you are doing’
  • pre-empting user needs and provide engaging, valuable content through videos, cartoons and imagery to add value

Customer service:

  • automated – signposting, support at each stage and at the end
  • human contact – the ability to talk to potential applicants and work with opportunities with potential to get them to a place where they are ‘investable’
  • a team and approach that emulates effective and valued customer service
  • providing constructive feedback to applicants
  • transparency around amounts invested and the process that applications go through

Connecting with communities:

  • ensuring applicants feel their community is understood and represented within a decision-making process
  • building and testing with users
  • working through partners that have trusted relationships to explore their role and try some different ways of supporting and investing

Confidence:

  • where funding organisations may have concerns about a project, taking a flexible approach to ensuring applicants address these concerns if an investment is offered

Our biggest challenge during discovery?

Reaching potential users was one of our main challenges. We didn’t know who they were and knew we would have to rely on community partners to bridge the gap and help us make connections.

We spoke with 11 community partners and also 7 local authorities, who we felt may be a conduit for distributing grants or may reach/know potential users directly) and as a result, we managed to speak with 3 potential users. The conversations with them reinforced some of the feedback provided by current users and is incorporated in the needs from users.

What’s next?

The team presented the discovery findings and recommendations to the project sponsor within Sport Wales and other stakeholders, alongside a proposal for the alpha phase.

During September 2021, we’ve been preparing for a 12-week alpha phase looking at:

  • building, testing and iterating a prototype of an end-to-end application process that meets the needs of users and delivers organisational outcomes
  • working closely with digital communications, partners and other organisations to test how the reach of Sport Wales can become more effective
  • working through how changes to the technical system can meet the needs of the organisation and users to a greater extent - including working with the current supplier to reduce manual processes and understand how the system can be iterated to meet the insight and evaluation needs of Sport Wales

If you have any questions about our work so far or if you’re a community group or club and would like to be involved in the next phase - get in touch info@digitalpublicservices.gov.wales

Keep an eye out for future blog posts on the exciting next stage!

Blog post by: Sport Wales discovery team