Our key methodology is Community Led research. 

​We will identify leaders and practitioners within Black-led civil society organisations across the UK who are able to support our collection of qualitative and quantitative data about their respective sectors and regions. We will provide them with a training programme and support them to utilise the learning they gain from us in their own organisations as well. 

​By utilising a community led research model, we will be investing in the impact measurement skills and data collection of the Black-led organisations they work in. This methodology will also allow us to have a place-based approach in our data collection and analysis. Our defining activities are for each theme:

• Mapping - we will start with the 1100 Black-led charities, social enterprises and community businesses we have access to within the Do it Now Now network. We have created a mapping system that allows us to filter the organisations by what they are working on, where they are based, their range of income, the size of the organisation and more. 
• Community Boards - we will recruit thought leaders (Black charity and social enterprise leaders, grant managers, domain experts, campaigners and others) across each of our 6 thematic focus areas. These Community Boards will meet once a quarter to help guide our thinking around key topics and ensure that our direction in each of the key thematic areas is fit for purpose within their respective communities.
• Research Projects - we will work to engage community-based leaders and practitioners to create research projects that go deep into the real experiences, challenges and triumphs that are happening on the frontlines, at the decision-making level and within community participant groups.​
• Advocacy - we recognise the importance of this type of work as it will enfranchise a group of people that are typically seen as 'hard to reach' meaning they are in receipt of the least amount of services our society has to offer. Through our research we will discover their challenges and experiences, giving us the opportunity to advocate for them.

• Convening - we will run a number of focus groups following the research projects through which we will contextualise the findings in different ways (across regions and sectors). This convening function allows us to address topical issues by drawing directly on our community for their thoughts and ideas. Through convening, we can investigate news cycle issues such as:
  1. Topics that require us to speak with organisations working on specific issues across the country. For example exploring food poverty in the Black community, regionally and nationally.
  2. Topics that would benefit from a strengthened community voice. For example, exploring violence and its intersection with Black youth - how Black leaders are making a difference in their communities'.
• Report Writing - all our research will be freely available to the sector and wider community. The reports will be co-written with the Peer Researchers. We do not want our research to live on a shelf and instead intend for it to be of direct help and support to all the different stakeholders that have been involved in the work; Black charity and social enterprise leaders, grant managers, domain experts, campaigners and others. 
• Dissemination - we will create a digital space where the data we have collected is filterable to identify trends in the experiences of the leaders, organisations and the communities they support. Importantly, we will be empowering the community themselves, represented by peer researchers, to disseminate their research about their work.