We offer a free service to voluntary organisations and community groups in the form of advice, information and signposting. Below are some examples of the sorts of queries we can help with. If you have a query please Contact Us.

Funding Helping people to find the funding they require to sustain and grow their organisation is one of our busiest areas of work, and we have a lot of experience in identifying potential funders and making effective funding applications. You can book a one-to-one advice session with either of our development workers to talk through your funding needs. Alternatively groups can send full details of their funding requirements by email or by telephone and one of the team will look into possible funders and respond with information. If you are seeking funding, you might also be interested in Funding and Grants.

Developing your ideas Do you have an idea for a new project or organisation? Have you identified an unmet need in the community? We are always happy to talk to people about their ideas and help them to take them forward, so please come in for a chat. If your idea is about bringing people together and reducing loneliness & isolation, contact our Social Connectedness Development Worker, Amanda Dolan.

Governance Governance of charities, companies and unincorporated groups can be complicated, and it is important to get things right. We have a wealth of practical experience of working with all kinds of organisations and can help with a variety of topics including deciding what kind of legal structure you should have; applying for charity and company status; managing membership; roles and responsibilities of charity trustees and company directors, managing AGMs and EGMs and complying with charity and company law.

Measuring Impact How do you gain information to help you improve your services? How do you demonstrate to funders and clients that you are having an impact? We can offer ideas for gaining the data and information you need, and presenting this in a way that shows how good your services are.

Good policy and good practice Having good policy and practice in your organisation is important, both. Topics such as health and safety, equality and diversity, employment, data protection and safeguarding all need to be addressed in your organisation. We can advise you about what you need to put in place, and help you find policies and procedures that suits the needs of your organisation and your clients.