From food banks and mental health drop-ins to parent and toddler groups and youth clubs, churches across the country provide essential community support. Dalmeny and Queensferry Parish Church on the outskirts of Edinburgh knew that the groups and activities they were hosting in their buildings were making a difference locally. And now, thanks to a new tool from the National Churches Trust, they have been able to calculate the value of this support – and use this information to incredible effect.
So, how did they do it?
Queensferry and Dalmeny Parish Church is made up of two buildings; the Victorian Queensferry Church and the 14th century Dalmeny Kirk. Like so many churches, they play a big role in local life. For years they have been engaging with the community, and today the church hosts a huge range of activities, ranging from Scouts and Guides and ballet to a community fridge and lunch clubs.
The church was signed up to receive our monthly church support email – and in it they found news of a new tool: The House of Good: Local, an online social value calculator.
“We had applied for National Churches Trust grants before, so were signed up to the newsletter. I saw the free training sessions advertised and spotted one about The House of Good: Local,” Pamela, an Elder and Trustee at Queensferry and Dalmeny Parish Church explains.
“We’d been discussing ways that we could measure all these things that we’re doing, so it seemed to fit perfectly.
“I went to the training where I learnt a lot more about it and discovered how easy it was. I was enthused!
“So, we knew we were doing a lot but being able to measure it all collectively and to show the good that it’s doing...it’s really helpful.”
How does the calculator work?
Churches can provide up to nine numbers about activities in their church – such as the number of regular volunteers – and the tool will calculate the social good that the church has in the community.
Hundreds of churches have now used the free tool, including Dalmeny and Queensferry Church.
After taking the idea to a session meeting, the team agreed to use the calculator, and Pamela set about gathering the relevant data.
“You don’t have to have a spreadsheet and complex computer systems. It’s just answering simple questions, like ‘How many people do you have in your choir?’, says Pamela.
“I found it quite straightforward, as I knew the people in the church who would have the answer to each question. It probably depends a bit on the size of your church.
“You might need to contact a few different people to get all the figures and to explain to them why you need them. But getting those people engaged is key – both while you’re gathering the data and once you’ve got your calculation.”
How you complete the tool depends on your preference. The tool will save your progress, so you can submit some of the figures and then come back later. Or you can use the data sheet on the National Churches Trust website to record all of the numbers before putting them into The House of Good: Local calculator.
Sharing the impact: funding and volunteers
“We were blown away by the results – £2.658 million of social good a year,” says Pamela. "How could we, as a small semi-rural church, be providing all that benefit to the community.”
But it is not just about getting a figure for your church – there are real benefits to then using the numbers elsewhere, as Queensferry and Dalmeny Parish Church can illustrate.
“The minister has used it a number of times in sermons, to illustrate why we are doing all of these things at the church.
“It has really encouraged people, showing them that they can make a difference,” Pamela explains.
Through this encouragement, it motivates volunteers and may help recruit new ones too.
It also can be helpful to show how your church is aligned with what your wider church denomination is doing.
“The Church of Scotland has been talking about the ‘Five Marks of Mission’, and one of those is about tending for the community. So, The House of Good: Local shows how we are doing that by showing the benefit we are bringing to the community.”
But a key outcome for Dalmeny and Queensferry Parish Church using The House of Good: Local calculator has been how much it helped when applying to funders for a grant.
“I’ve also used it as extra evidence on grant submissions...we’ve been able to secure funding... It’s a useful piece of information to put in when you’re trying to explain the benefit,” Pamela adds.
The church has now secured funding from a number of sources, including the Edinburgh-based TOR Christian Foundation, the Hubbub community fridge food hub fund and The National Lottery Community Fund.
Looking to the future
The House of Good: Local has given the team at Dalmeny and Queensferry Parish Church a good understanding of the impact of the church’s activities. But it doesn’t stop there.
Just as the church’s activities change over time, so will the impact they have.
“One of the things we will do is to complete the calculator again, twelve months down the line from when we first used it. That way we can compare and see if there have been any changes. That will help us to think and to plan,” Pamela concludes.
This way they will continue to have an up-to-date figure for the benefit they’re bringing to the community.
The calculator has certainly helped this brilliant parish church encourage their congregations and volunteers as well as secure additional funding. What could the tool do for your church, chapel or meeting house?
For Churches: top tips for your place of worship
- Use The House of Good: Local to calculate the value you add to the local community. You don’t have to be running a dozen activities to have an impact. So even if you’re a small church, the tool is useful.
- Engage other leaders at your church early on. If you’re a large team, you might need help with finding the right data. And by having people on board early, you will ensure that the calculation is used widely.
- Think about creative ways to use the calculation. It can help to motivate your congregation and volunteers at your church as well as support funding applications.
- Consider how using the tool multiple times might be helpful. Like Dalmeny and Queensferry Parish Church, you could look at changes over the course of 12 months. But you could also use the tool to share the changes and impact of a facilities project or a new community initiative, helping demonstrate impact to your funders and stakeholders.