Purpose of monitoring
Demonstrating accountability
Through project level monitoring, the recipient of community benefit support (for example, a grant) is asked to demonstrate how the support was used and the outputs and outcomes delivered as a result. These should be in line with the agreed purpose of the award. Monitoring should also support accountability of the decision making group (and third party administrator if there is one) for expenditure as a whole, to the wider community and to the renewable energy business.
Evidencing impact, and learning what works
By monitoring the outputs and outcomes of their project or activity, those receiving community benefits can better understand and communicate the likely impact that their project or activity has made. This can in turn help others understand their impact and contribute to a picture of how all support disbursed is delivering against the community benefit package’s overall.
Learning from the way in which projects are planned and delivered is important in understanding how those receiving support have developed in their experience and thinking in this regard. Moreover, it can help the decision-making group (and potentially those involved in delivering community benefits elsewhere) understand what works in terms of project design and delivery, and therefore what projects to support in the future – and how to fund them.
The information provided through monitoring is an essential ingredient for effective evaluation of the overall community benefits package. It may also inform adjustments to the community action plan and any funding strategy, for example, by suggesting specific types of projects to be favoured or the introduction of new qualifying criteria for support.