Back in January, we asked our newsletter readers, social media subscribers, and wider stakeholders to take part in a survey about what you think about Action Hampshire.
This survey was part of the evaluation of our National Lottery Community Fund (NLCF) project, where we are undertaking organisational development focussing on impact, sustainability, strategy, and equality, diversity, and inclusion. In the first two years of the project, we will be focussing on our internal staff development in these four areas, then in the final year of the project we will be sharing our learning with you – our Action Hampshire audience!
The survey was open from January – February 2025 and received 19 responses. These responses indicate a good understanding and awareness of our work, with most participants associating Action Hampshire with ‘partnerships and collaboration’ and ‘supporting community-based action’ (n=13). It must be noted that using a survey to collect information from our stakeholders could be unreliable as those who are aware of our work are more likely to complete the survey. This was evident in the responses, as most participants stated that they engage with us on either a weekly or monthly basis (n = 13). Additionally, the response rate is not particularly large in comparison to the number of people and organisations in our networks. Despite these limitations, it has provided an interesting snapshot into what people think of Action Hampshire.
When asked to describe Action Hampshire in three words, the most common words used were ‘supportive’, ‘support’, ‘informative’, and ‘community’, all of which have positive connotations and reflect our identity as an organisation. Respondents reported ‘funded projects’ as the most beneficial service delivered by Action Hampshire and Communities Against Cancer was the project most were aware of (n=13), closely followed by Safe and Warm Communities (n=10). Other services of benefit included Community Buildings Support and HIVCA, both of which also had high levels of awareness amongst respondents.
12 respondents said they were very likely/somewhat likely to recommend Action Hampshire to another organisation in their sector. These positive responses suggest Action Hampshire is undertaking work that is useful and relevant to most of those who we engage with. There were three very unlikely/somewhat unlikely responses to this question and limited data to suggest why. One respondent explained that Action Hampshire needed to be more visible, which could be addressed within our new strategy work. Other suggested improvements included increasing networking opportunities, reducing membership fees, and improving response time to queries.
All of the information shared through the evaluation survey forms part of our baseline understanding of how we are viewed by our audience and wider stakeholders. We will undertake this survey again in January 2026, to understand if attitudes towards Action Hampshire have changed. Additionally, the feedback within the survey will support the newly formed ‘Innovate’ team to review our strategy and shape its direction going forward, alongside further consultation work.
We’ve got lots of exciting work happening as part of our NLCF project that we can’t wait to update you on, so watch this space!
