The Gold Industry Group is a not-for-profit, member-based association. Through a variety of strategic initiatives, they aim to promote Australia’s gold industry and bring awareness to the impact and value gold can generate to the economy and community.
In 2019, the Group committed to supporting netball across Western Australia with a $5.6 million investment across three years. The investment supported all levels of the sport, with the Group as the first Principal Partner for Netball WA, Principal Partner of West Coast Fever, and Premier Partner of Shooting Stars.
Requirements
The Group sought to demonstrate the value of their partnership with Netball WA and the diversity, inclusion, health and wellbeing benefits experienced by 235,000 netball participants across Perth and remote regional communities.
They also sought to understand the performance of their strategic objectives including:
- Increase awareness, understanding of and support for the Gold Industry Group and the gold sector across in WA, including regional areas.
- Position the gold industry as an employer of choice, community leader, diversity champion, education enabler, health and wellbeing advocate.
- Promote the Gold Industry Group members as sponsoring the project and promoting the Gold Industry Group message.
Approach
Culture Counts developed a comprehensive evaluation plan to help the Group consistently measure, capture and report their achievements across the three year partnership (2020 – 2023). The methodology has been applied each year, to help organisers to better understand the impact of this partnership, and how key insights have trended year-on-year.
A strategic alignment was conducted at the beginning of the evaluation project to identify the outcome metrics that aligned to the Group’s strategic goals. Gold Survey templates were created including the outcome metrics, along with other key questions of interest. A data distribution plan was devised to capture the responses from netball participants across WA and throughout the year. Data collection methods included fieldwork, population polling and online surveys via the Culture Counts Evaluation Platform.
To showcase the impact of the partnership, including achievement of both Netball WA and the Group’s outcomes, a custom Impact Report was created using the data collected over the three year period.
“The information presented in the Culture Counts Network Partnership Impact Report has greatly influenced internal decision-making within the Group. The findings have proven to be a powerful resource for various teams, including marketing and executive.”Kristy Reilly, CEO, Gold Industry Group Read report
Outcome
Kristy Reilly, CEO shared how working with Culture Counts helped them gain key insights into the partnership success.
The evaluation conducted through Culture Counts has provided the Group with several notable takeaways regarding its netball partnership. Ms Reilly shares the top three:
- Increased awareness: The partnership has significantly bolstered public awareness of the Gold Industry Group’s initiatives within the netball community. It has successfully captured the attention of netball enthusiasts and players, facilitating a deeper understanding of the Gold Industry Group’s values and goals.
- Positive impact on reputation: Through the netball partnership, the Gold Industry Group has observed a positive impact on its reputation and brand. The evaluation highlighted the positive association between the partnership and the organisation’s commitment to community development.
- Enhanced engagement: The evaluation revealed that the netball partnership has fostered enhanced engagement both online and offline. The partnership has facilitated meaningful interactions with the netball community, resulting in increased support and participation in Gold Industry Group initiatives such as knowledge about uses of gold, gold contribution to society and economy, and careers in gold.
In reflecting the benefits gained from conducting an evaluation with Culture Counts, Ms Reilly writes:
“The evaluation had a significant influence on how the Group communicates its value to stakeholders. By analysing the data and feedback received, the Group has gained a deeper understanding of the specific aspects of the partnership that resonate most with the netball community.
With these valuable insights, the Gold Industry Group has been able to refine its messaging, emphasising the positive impact it had on the netball community and its wider efforts within the gold industry.
The evaluation has helped the Group effectively communicate the long-term value it offers through its netball partnership, showcasing its commitment to community engagement, inclusivity, and fostering a sense of belonging as well as promoting the Group’s initiatives.”
The evaluation also provided the Group with key evidence to help improve their decision-making process and future planning, as highlighted by Ms Reilly.
“Teams within the Group have referred to the Impact Report while planning for the upcoming year. The valuable insights gleaned from the evaluation have aided in shaping and guiding marketing campaigns, and informing decision-making processes related to future initiatives. By leveraging the findings, the Group can further strengthen its netball partnership and ensure that its objectives align with the needs and aspirations of the netball community.”
