C3 Partnership

The C3Perform Toolkit offers a set of 3 self- assessment tools to help diagnose the strengths and areas for improvement in your organisation. The tools have been designed to meet the different needs of organisations as they develop and grow. These self-assessment tools work because they facilitate a disciplined enquiry within a holistic framework. Participants focus on identifying strengths plus areas for improvement and assessing the evidence they collect to inform action planning.

The complete C3Toolkit has been designed to cater for the varied needs of the diverse third sector, including organisations of all sizes at different stages of development. C3Tools work in slightly different ways, each of the core tools can be used in isolation or they can be combined as complementary tools. Read the reviews below to help you decide which self- assessment tools suit your organisation’s needs.

To help you compare these three tools see the tool selector table

C3Perform Workbook - a comprehensive self-assessment tool designed to involve between 3 to 8 people in reviewing the organisation’s strengths and areas for improvement. The Workbook provides 46 positive statements for discussion under 9 headings. The Workbook takes 3 to 6 hours, followed by 2 to 4 hours for action planning. The tool is effective at facilitating a productive dialogue and assembling an evidence base to help demonstrate performance and effectiveness.

“C3Perform took us through how we work as an organisation, step by step, looking closely at every aspect of the way we function. The C3Perform statements have stimulated debate between team members, and made us think about how each member contributes to the whole service so that together we can gain a sense of direction and focus.” Knowle Safe

C3Quick Perform - a less intensive tool offering 34 simple positive statements for consideration split into ‘enablers’ and ‘results’. The tool can be completed by an individual in 20 minutes, or by a group in one hour. It focuses on scoring and is most effective at diagnosing broad areas for improvement. It does help to assemble an evidence base but this will not be as detailed as in C3Perform Workbook. C3Quick Perform can be used in conjunction with C3Perform Workbook to introduce the concepts and/or elicit input from staff and volunteers not involved in the C3Perform Workbook process.

“The C3 framework is so flexible that it was a very straightforward task to make it relevant to an organisation that has such specific values and structures as Essential. Already lots of members have told me how filling in the quick workbook has helped them think about the co-op in a different way”. Essential Trading Company

C3Perform Workshop - provides a short and inclusive method for collecting feedback from a group of up to 20 staff and volunteers. The simple process can take just 3 hours and produce a prioritised list of possible actions to be developed into an Action Plan by decision makers.

“The workshop provided an opportunity for staff and trustees to get to know each other on a more personal level and have a greater understanding of each other’s perceptions and needs for development. The day was successful in encouraging discussion and debate, developing agreed steps for improvement and breaking down barriers between trustees and staff. Our participants agreed that more ‘Away Days’ focusing on C3Perform were an essential part of our development.” Bread Youth Project