Glossary

what will be different as a result of your project delivering its objectives?

Initiatives that Nominet Trust supports use a range of digital technologies. These include internet based technologies utilising web-based tech such as websites, social networks, social media and collaborative platforms; as well as other interfaces to networked technologies such as mobile apps, IPTV and smart devices. Mobile devices, sensor technologies and emerging technologies such as 3D printers are equally of interest - however, it’s important that the digital technology used is appropriate to the ambitions of the project. With that in mind, this list is not exhaustive, but gives examples of the sorts of digital technologies used within our funded projects.

the key factors that are deemed essential to project success e.g. resource availability. The nature of these factors will govern the response to conflicts, risks and priority setting.

Evaluation is about learning about what works from your project and the model of change you are using. It focuses on understanding what change has happened as a result of the project, and why.

will your project have a lasting impact beyond the period of funding that you seek?

A logic model is a way of mapping out the different components of a project. It generally has 4 parts:

• Inputs - the resources that go into a project (e.g. money or people's time)
• Activities - the activities that the project undertakes (e.g. running a training session)
• Outputs - the tangible results of the project (e.g. number of people trained)
• Outcomes - the changes the outputs has resulted in (e.g. more people using the internet)

collecting information about what is happening in your project and the progress you are making, then reporting on it at agreed intervals. Some of the information will be generic for all our projects e.g budget expenditure. Other information you collect will depend on the nature of your project; it could be anything from the number of people who have completed a training programme through completion of a draft report, or release of a new app.

what is the problem (or opportunity) that you seek to address by delivering your project?

statements of what the project aims to achieve. Objectives should be specific and require actions to complete them; they should be finite in scope and duration, be measurable and realistic. At the outset of a project, objectives help to define project outputs, or deliverables. At the end of the project, it should be possible to review the objectives to evaluate the extent to which it was successful.

applicants should represent an organisation, for example a charity, a not for profit organisation, a Community Interest Company, or a university. Applications from for profit organisations will also be considered.

an evaluation of project impact - the changes brought about by an activity or project that really matter e.g. increased employability of participants, improved health and well-being.

sometimes called project deliverables, these are created by your project. They are indicators, usually measurable, that a change activity has taken place e.g. number of volunteers recruited, training documents produced. A project’s outputs are derived from its objectives.

will your organisation (or others) be able to adopt what you have achieved and implement it elsewhere e.g. in a similar organisation, in a different location?

will your organisation (or others) be able to build on what your project has achieved and extend its reach?

will your project have the resources to continue beyond the period of funding that you seek? Planning for sustainability should take place at an early stage in your project.

A Theory of Change is a way of creating a step-by-step map of the changes your project will make. It identifies the overall goal of your project, and breaks down all the changes that need to happen to achieve it.

Creating a Theory of Change means you end up with a chain of cause and effect linking your short term outcomes to your overall goal. It's like saying "if this happens, then that will happen." A Theory of Change also helps you to identify the assumptions in your project about how one change will lead to another. These assumptions often form a crucial part of a project evaluation.