In April 2008, Dudley CVS launched their 5 year Building Blocks project funding by the Big Lottery Fund.
The project aims to enhance the support available to the voluntary, community and faith sector (VCFS) in the borough of Dudley. The project will support the development and sustainability of voluntary, community and faith based (VCFOs) organisations through:
• Supporting VCFOs with a new VCS Good Practice Toolkit which has been endorsed by commissioners from Dudley PCT and Dudley MBC.
• Providing intensive one to one support to groups with funding
The project was developed as a result of government publications covering issues around the voluntary, community and faith sector's sustainability, public service delivery and organisations being encouraged to move away from grant dependency and become more business like.
About the Building Blocks VCS Good Practice Toolkit
One to one support is available to medium and large voluntary, community and faith based organisations (groups with an income over £15,000 pa) through using the VCS Good Practice Toolkit.
The toolkit is a succinct guide to the key areas of organisational development and supports VCFOs in areas of:
- Governance
- Business Planning
- Human Resources
- Promotion and Marketing
- Money Matters
- Tendering
- Policies and Procedures
- Performance Management
- Partnerships and Networking
- Engagement
The purpose of the toolkit is to enable local VCFOs to demonstrate to funders that they are organisations that are built on firm foundations, are sustainable and better able, if appropriate to the VCFO, to compete for public service contracts. The toolkit will help organisations to up skill board members, staff and/or volunteers in all the above areas.
The toolkit has been written by consultants ‘Pulse Regeneration Ltd’ in consultation with VCFOs and commissioners of public services.
Commissioning in the borough of Dudley
A key part of the Building Blocks project is about helping to ensure that voluntary, community and faith based organisations looking to take on service level agreements are built on firm foundations and have the ability to bid for contracts.
The projects ‘Sustainability Officer’ will work with Commissioning bodies and the voluntary, community and faith sector to identify opportunities to be commissioned and also overcome problems and issues around public service delivery.
If you are interested in signing up to the toolkit please contact:
Kate Green
Sustainability Officer
Tel: 01384 267418
Email: buildingblocks@dudleycvs.org.uk
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