Fonds voor Cultuurparticipatie
Stakeholder research for cultural fund: strengthening external ties.
Case Information
The Cultural Participation Fund aimed to evaluate its services and positioning. Through stakeholder research, the Fund gained in-depth insights into how it could further strengthen its connection with its environment. This provides other organisations looking to monitor their impact with a clear framework for evaluating their own service delivery.
The Question
How do you foster active cultural participation?
The Cultural Participation Fund stimulates active cultural participation by providing grants and connecting people, organisations, and governments. To monitor the impact of these efforts and optimally align its services, the Fund sought insights into the needs of its environment. How do you ensure that stakeholder research for cultural fund clearly reveals your current standing?
The Challenge
Anticipating developments and a ministerial visitation.
The Fund wanted to know if its services still met the current needs of applicants and other stakeholders, and which developments in cultural education and participation it could better anticipate. This was particularly urgent given the visitation by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science in 2018, for which a thorough self-evaluation was crucial.
The approach
In-depth stakeholder research for cultural fund with qualitative and quantitative insights.
We began with a kick-off meeting, followed by qualitative interviews with various stakeholders: national and regional parties, applicants, and partners. Subsequently, we conducted a quantitative satisfaction survey among grant applicants. This combination provided both in-depth, individual insights and a broad, numerical picture of satisfaction.
<span data-metadata=""><span data-buffer="">The result
From in-depth insights to an activated organisation.
The results of the quantitative research confirmed the Fund’s suspicions and clearly showed the level of satisfaction and potential areas for improvement. By presenting the results in an interactive workshop and providing an infographic, the research actively landed within the organisation.
Consequence of the Result
How the insight led to action.
Strengthened connection with stakeholders.
The interviews were an excellent opportunity to forge closer ties and experience the high level of stakeholder engagement, which strengthens future collaborations.
Targeted improvements for service delivery.
The Fund now has concrete insights into where its services can be optimised, enabling you to respond more effectively to the needs of applicants.
Activated internal organisation.
The playful presentation format fostered discussion and buy-in among employees, ensuring the research is actively used to achieve goals rather than being filed away.
Better preparation for review.
With a thorough self-evaluation and concrete improvement points, the Fund is in a stronger position for the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science’s visitation, which benefits its standing as a cultural fund.
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What is stakeholder research and why is it important for a fund like this?
Stakeholder research identifies the needs and perceptions of various stakeholders, such as applicants, government bodies, and sector partners. For a cultural fund, this is crucial to ensure the relevance of programmes and to respond promptly to changes in the cultural landscape, which is essential for effective subsidisation and collaboration.
How does a self-evaluation help prepare for a visitation by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science?
A self-evaluation allows organisations to critically examine their own performance and effectiveness, independent of external pressure. By doing this proactively, a fund can highlight strengths and address areas for improvement before an official visitation, which prepares the organisation well for external assessment and accountability.
What role does quantitative research play alongside qualitative research in this approach?
Quantitative research provides numerical, objective insights from a broad group of applicants, for example, regarding satisfaction with grant application procedures. It complements the in-depth qualitative insights from interviews by confirming and quantifying trends and patterns, which is essential for a complete picture and evidence-based decision-making.
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