Developing Your Group
You have done all the hard work and set up your group. Everything is going along quite nicely, thank you. However, after a while, you may think about developing your group further. Here are some ideas you might like to consider.
Becoming a registered charity/company limited by guarantee.
A voluntary organisation will often choose to become a company limited by guarantee after a management committee member returns from a training event or advice session with the dreadful news that they are currently liable as individuals for any debts the organisation may incur. In small organisations, unlikely to incur substantial debts, this is fine. However, if the organisation has paid staff, owns a building or has large contracts – say with a local authority, then they may be keen to limit their liabilities. The usual way to do this is to set up a company limited by guarantee, where all members agree to pay a small amount (£1) if the organisation becomes insolvent. Most groups decide to become a registered charity at the same time.
If you decide that this is the way your group should go, contact us. A time commitment is involved but the costs do not need to be great. We can explain the pros and cons and help you with the paperwork. We can also help by explaining the responsibilities of directors/trustees.
Putting in for a larger grant.
You may have an idea for a project that involves putting in a bid for a larger amount of funding. We can point you in the right direction, give you advice on how to produce a business plan and help with the forms. Sorry, but we don’t have the capacity to do the forms for you, but what we can do is check them before you send them off. With larger grants there is often a pre-application process which looks at the viability of the project before large amounts of time and money is spent on it.
Employing Staff.
If your group is growing it may come to the point where you are looking at the possibility of employing staff. CVS is able to help you through the process from the advert, right through to the contract of employment. We can also advise on putting in place the right policies and procedures. You won’t find these on the website because they need to be right for your group!
Volunteers.
Groups often use volunteers in their work. We can help with volunteer policies and suggesting the right way to work with them; all you have to do is find them!
Policies and Procedures.
Many groups are concerned about their legal position in having certain policies and procedures in place. Even if it is not a legal requirement it is often good practice to have these policies and procedures agreed by the membership. We can discuss with you if they are a legal requirement and may well have a template that you can develop for your group’s use. Examples of these could be child protection, equal opportunities, health and safety etc.
Many groups are happy, as they are, not wishing to grow. However issues do need to be dealt with, there are changes in the law that have to be met and there are opportunities to be grasped. We are here to help your group address any weaknesses and make the most of its strengths!