In December 2022, we are delighted to be launching our very first training programme, The Returns Recipe.

This is a training programme for Arts Council Funded National Portfolio Organisations (NPO) and Investment Principle Support Organisations (IPSO) to help them turn the annual data return into a piece of cake!

NPO’s are funded for three years at a time to deliver the programme of work, which they have carefully planned and written up as a business plan. As part of that funding agreement the organisations have to complete an in-depth data return. They can complete this between April and June and have to describe the following:

• The number of audiences they have reached in the last financial year
• The demographic profile of their staff, board and volunteers
• Their social media data and online engagement
• Information around the learning and participation of an organisation

In addition all NPO organisations need to complete Audience Finder surveys, many want to start measuring quality and using the ‘Insight and Impact’ system. Finally, artists can also provide information and arts organisations should try and collect some artist and volunteer voice to help them reflect on their own practice.

Our Returns Recipe Training course takes people through all this, step by step in just 8 hours. We are refining the course this year as a pilot programme. If you would like to learn more about the programme when it launches in 2023, you can sign up to our mailing list here.