How to build a case study
- 1. How to build a case study Read this if you want to learn: 1. What is a case study? 2. Why is it important? 3. Telling a good story 4. How to build a case study 5. Getting your story out there
- 2. What is a case study? We all connect to people’s stories better than facts and figures, which is why it’s important to learn how to tell and share good stories through case studies. Simple quotes and photos alongside a human-interest story can bring projects to life. A case study is a look at a particular subject or topic of interest which describes, explores, explains or analyses activities or events, groups or individuals. Case studies are a good way to tell a story or share information and help other people to learn, understand and be inspired.
- 3. Why is it important? Case studies are a great way to get down on paper what your group is doing: • To show the difference your project is making • To celebrate achievements • To tell your story and inspire others • To share what you have learned with others • To attract further funding and investment • To raise awareness in the local community and beyond
- 4. Telling a good story Transition Network has a collection of 21 Stories of Transition, showing projects local communities are working on. These are good examples of case studies. Before going any further, have a look at one or two examples of how the project’s stories are told, for example: Lambeth’s Local Entrepreneur Forum (LEF).
- 5. Key Principles • Keep your message clear, simple and tangible - even if the issue is complex • Use plain-English, avoid jargon, old-fashioned phrases and acronyms • Always stick to the most important information - what is ‘need to know’? • Focus on people and their stories • Keep the look and feel simple and unfussy • Make sure you follow a basic colour scheme and never use light text on a light background, or dark text on a dark background • A good quality image can go a long way such as a photo or a logo
- 6. How to build a case study • Focus on people, achievements and key messages – what will make an interesting story? • Can you summarise your story using plain English, in less than 30 words? You can use a tool called 5W1H to get started. • 5W1H is short for Who?, What?, Where?, When?, Why?, How? It helps you think about the basic information to include and gives your case study a structure.
- 7. Case Study Structure We have adapted a template from Local Trust to help you create a structure for your case study. Building on your 5W1H summary, you can craft one using these questions as headings: 1. Who is involved? Who is benefiting? What did you want to change? 2. Where is the area? What is it like? Who lives there? 3. Why has the focus of your case study done what they’ve done? Why did they decide to do this? 4. What has been done and how has it been done? What has been achieved? What challenges have you faced? How have you overcome them? How has the Community been involved? 5. What lessons have you learned? What would you do differently next time? 6. What are your next steps?
- 8. Who? • Brief background to the case study: Who does it focus on? Who is benefitting? Who did you speak to for this case study and what is their role? • If the case study focuses on a person, give more information – their name, how long they have lived in the area, what they do, and how and why they are involved • What need are they addressing? What did they want to change? • Try gathering different views from various people to get a rounded picture of the project. • Photos can be a great way of capturing your community group’s work, ethos and impact. It speaks equally to everyone, regardless of their background. Here are our top ten tips for taking photos.
- 9. Where? • Where is the area? Who lives there? What is the area like? • You could include some key numbers e.g. number of residents, data that tell people what your neighbourhood is like. • You could create maps of your local economy, find economic statistics about your local area and build graphs and charts of local economic data. Our guide to Working with local data can show you how.
- 10. Why? • Why has the focus of your case study done what they’ve done? Why did they decide to do this? • You can gather opinions or comments on an issue from people using short and quick interviews. Local Trust has a handy guide on How to film a short interview or ‘vox pop’. • If you’re taking pictures or filming, don’t forget the rule of thirds! Image from Local Trust
- 11. What and How? • What kinds of activities has the area or person done? How have they carried out work so far? Where and when did the activities take place? • Did the area or individual involve other groups/organisations? How many people have participated or benefited? How have people benefited? • Did the area work with the local paper/radio station and get any media coverage? • What has been the person’s role in these things (if the case study focuses on a person)? • What has been the impact? What have been the challenges? How were these challenges overcome? It is important to show the difference you’re making as it helps to attract funders. • Film can be a good way to reach people as it’s easy to share and social media sites are set up so that watching films is easy. Film has an immediate quality - some prefer to watch a three minute film than read a few pages of text. Local Trust has written a guide on How to produce a film case study.
- 12. So what? What next? • What lessons have you learned? What would you do differently next time? • What are your future plans? • Who is the best person in your area to contact if people have questions? This person might be asked to give a quote for a press release, speak to a journalist or talk on local radio. • Don’t forget to include contact details at the end of your case study: name, role of person and a phone number.
- 13. The Legal Bit… Data Protection and Consent • Explain who is collecting the data and who this is going to be shared with • Tell people exactly what data you are collecting e.g. first and last name, email address, area • Explain why you would like to collect their data • Do not collect more data than you need • Consent is optional, it is their choice whether they would like to share their information or not and they can make a decision at any time to no longer be contacted • You must never share people’s personal data unless you make this clear to them and they agree to this • If someone doesn’t want a quote attributed to them, you can agree to quote them anonymously • If you have filmed or taken photos, you should check with the people involved that they are happy with the final result. If people are pleased with it, they are more likely to want to share it. If your film or photo includes children or vulnerable adults, first ask their parent or guardian to fill in a consent form.
- 14. Getting your story out there There are many different ways you can reach people, so here are just a few ideas: • Traditional media (print, radio, TV): Media Trust have a guide on How to hit the headlines, including hints on how to think like a journalist or editor. They also have a sample press release with some tips of what to include. • Posters, leaflets, banners • Newsletters (printed or e-newsletters) • Email • Websites and blogs: Wordpress is one of most popular tools to build a website or blog. Just Act has a simple guide for community groups to set up their own website with Wordpress. • Social media (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube): Locality has a social media toolkit to get you started with Twitter and Facebook, including how to setup a profile and top tips.